What happens outside Vegas
by K.C.Dragonfly
Summary: One week, two women and a whole lot of team-building ... sounds simple? T for now
1. The Intro

**_Hey guys! Sorry for the long hiatus over summer, been a busy bee :) This one won't be too long but I've got half a dozen more in the pipeline. _**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own them and they aren't making me any money (unfortunately)_**

**_Future chapters will be much longer, this is just the intro. Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think _**

**_KC x_  
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**x x x x  
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**The Intro**

The feeling of soft, smooth skin against her own ... the delicate scent of acai berries and almond milk ... gentle breath tickling her ear ... breasts.

In retrospect, she should have noticed sooner that the warm body she was so inelegantly sprawled across belonged to a woman.

But alas, she did not. Which is why she jumped out of her skin when she lifted her head to glance the person beneath her and found herself staring at the serene face of Sara Sidle.

Miraculously, her startled movements did not awaken the brunette, who merely stirred and shuffled before settling back to sleep.

As Catherine's breathing returned to normal, the events of the previous night flashed before her eyes and slowly she pieced her actions together.

It was all Ecklie's fault...


	2. The Setup

_**Thank you for the reviews so far :)**_

**x x x x**

**The Set-up**

"But we already know how to build a team." Greg whined.

"Be quiet Sanders." Ecklie waved a dismissive hand at him. "One week of teambuilding will not kill you!" The youngest CSI folded his arms across his chest and sulked quietly.

"What's your game?" Catherine raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Ecklie released a frustrated sigh.

"There is no 'game', Catherine. The undersheriff has decided that you guys need some practice working together as a team."

"Why?" The blonde pressed.

"In light of ... recent events," he cast a pointed glance around the room, "do you really need to ask?"

Warrick, who had been silent until now, scoffed. "Come on, you can't seriously blame that on us."

"Warrick, one of your team was kidnapped and less than a month later another of you nearly got shot." His gaze flicked momentarily to Nick and Sara, who were lurking sheepishly in the corner. Since no one had an answer to that, he slapped the paperwork down on the counter and started to walk away. "Trust me: you guys need this. Bus leaves on Sunday evening."

As the sound of his footsteps faded down the hall there was a long silence while everyone absorbed this.

"Well," Catherine said at last; "I'd better find a babysitter." Everyone watched her stalk out into the hall before Nick dropped into the seat she'd vacated and began flicking idly through the paperwork their boss had left.

"Teambuilding?" Greg huffed. "We're a great team. How were we supposed to know that the guy would be stupid enough to hang around the crime scene with the weapon still on him?" He threw his hands up exasperatedly.

"Let it go Greggo." Sara mumbled, stirring her coffee lazily.

"Yeah, looks like we've got a week of team-building fun ahead of us." Warrick agreed sarcastically.

"Yay." Nick chimed in unenthusiastically, still flicking through the pages. "And guess where it is..."

X x x

"Ogden, Utah." Catherine repeated.

"The dullest town in America." Nick added. "Fun."

"Hey, I don't pick the location of these conventions." Ecklie shrugged, wandering away to survey the loading of bags onto the coach. Catherine rolled her eyes, catching a glimpse of someone moping by the barriers. She sauntered over and leant against the railings beside them.

"Well don't look too excited about it." She quipped. Sara didn't even respond, resting her head on her folded arms miserably. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Sara mumbled. Cath leant forward, resting her elbows on the railings.

"Come on, spill." She nudged Sara playfully but the brunette didn't crack. Cath was just about to turn on her social charm when Grissom hollered across the parking lot.

"Alright guys! Time to go, everybody in the bus!" With a sigh, Sara pushed herself off the railing and ambled toward the bus. Cath watched her go, a small frown etching itself into her forehead. "Guys! Let's go!"

X x x

"Whoa, someone's popular." Nick joked when Sara's phone vibrated for the twentieth time before they left Nevada State. She, however, was not amused as she tossed the offending object back into her bag and slunk down in her seat. "Or not." The Texan murmured. He tapped his fingers nervously on his knees, thinking of something to say. "Hey, you seen that new film that's out? With that guy in that you have a thing for – Ben... Toro?"

"Benicio Del Toro." She mumbled. "And no I haven't."

"Oh." Nick nodded, slipping back into silence. Sara continued to stare blankly out of the window, ignoring her phone that continued to vibrate helplessly in her bag. Nick considered leaving her to her thoughts, but before he did he reached out and placed a warm hand on her knee. "Hey, Sara; whoever he is, he's not worth it."

Slowly, she lifted her head to meet his sympathetic smile. The corners of her lips twitched upwards.

"Thanks Nicky." She whispered.

X x x

"Alright gang. We made it." Ecklie announced triumphantly as, one by one, six very cranky CSIs and a detective stumbled off the bus and out into the pitch blankness of stupid-o-clock in the morning.

"Good, where's the bed?" Catherine moaned, unceremoniously dumping her bag by the entrance as they piled into the reception area.

"Honestly Catherine, you've had seven hours to sleep." Ecklie mocked brightly.

"Remind me again why you're here." Brass grumbled, stretching his stiff back.

"To keep you guys in line." Conrad grinned, amused at his own joke.

"And why am I here?" Brass continued, decidedly not amused.

"Because you're a valuable part of this team. Now..."

"I need a bathroom and a bed." Greg cut him off, barging passed him and across the lobby towards the toilets.

"Not so fast Greg; there's something I need to tell you all first." The lab director said.

"But I have to pee."

"Hold it." He instructed. "Now, as I was saying, in order to save money the lab could only book so many rooms, which means some of us are going to be bunking up." The cheerful manner in which he said this suggested that he was not one of them.

"Shared rooms?" Warrick asked sceptically.

"Thank you for volunteering." The balding man smirked. "Catherine and Sara, I'm sure you two don't mind sharing."

"I..."

"Good, thank you." He cut the young CSI off bluntly. "So I guess all that's left is for you guys to draw straws as to who gets who."

"I'll take Nick." Greg piped up instantly.

"Hey, what about me?" Warrick asked, hurt.

"You can have Jim."

"And you and Grissom?" Catherine asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, we'll have to take the single rooms." He at least attempted to sound put out, however feeble that attempt was. However, before anyone could contest this arrangement, a young receptionist who had been hovering nearby appeared at his side.

"Excuse me, Mr Ecklie?" She asked timidly. "I'm sorry but we don't have any single rooms booked for you."

"There must be some mistake." He responded calmly, puffing his chest out in a pose of authority. "Check again."

"There's no mistake sir," she assured him quietly. "All I've got booked is four double rooms."

Slowly, the firm defiance started to drain from his face along with the colour.

"Oh." He muttered. Despite her tiredness, Catherine managed a cheeky smile as she edged behind him and slapped him playfully on the back.

"Bunk up, guys."

As the team collected their keys and drifted off upstairs in their relegated pairs, Ecklie turned to find Grissom watching him warily with a raised eyebrow.

"Shared rooms?"

X x x

"Shared beds." Cath commented dryly upon entering the almost bare en-suite room.

"Why do I get the feeling he planned that?" Sara asked from her spot by the door.

"Because he's a snake." Cath muttered, throwing herself limply onto the bed. "Well Sidle," she called tiredly, already struggling to keep her eyes open. "You want the left or the right side?"


	3. The Confession

_**Thank you to all those reading and reviewing**_

**x x x x**

**The Confession**

"Sharing rooms." Grissom muttered to himself again, tossing his jeans onto his untidy heap of clothes. Ecklie did a double take as he shuffled out of the bathroom to the sight of Gil Grissom in his underpants.

"I hope you're not planning on sleeping like that." He stated, trying to avert his eyes.

"Why?" Grissom asked dumbly, his hands on his hips. Ecklie blinked at him.

"Just put some pyjamas on." He turned away, folding his clothes up neatly on top of his suitcase.

"I don't bring any pyjamas."

"Well then put some pants on." Ecklie snapped, climbing into bed and smoothing the blanket over herself neurotically. Grissom rolled his eyes.

"Don't be childish." He said, climbing into his own side and shuffling until he found a comfortable position. Ecklie clicked the bedside lamp off and lay down, listening to Gil shift next to him.

"Sleep tight Conrad." He mumbled at last, settling against the flat pillows.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite." Ecklie said sarcastically. There was a beat of silence then Grissom rolled over and yawned, before informing Ecklie in a sleepy voice;

"Be nice to the bed bugs. Human DNA can be recovered from them up to 90 days after feeding."

X x x

By the time Catherine eventually emerged from the bathroom dressed in a tank-top and shorts Sara was already lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. Cath clicked off the light and crawled up the bed, shuffling underneath the duvet. She stretched out on her stomach, watching the young brunette in the dark for a long moment.

"So, who is he?" She asked at last. Sara's head whipped around.

"Who?"

"The guy you've been moping over all day." Cath nudged her teasingly under the covers. Sara inched instinctively away from her touch and resumed staring at the ceiling.

"It's nothing."

"Come on. I know that look." The older woman countered. "I've worn that look! What happened?" She softened her voice, raising a sceptical eye at her colleague. After a long silence she heard Sara sigh.

"I broke up with someone." She admitted softly. "And now they think that by harassing me with texts and phone calls they can win me back."

"Ah." Cath smiled knowingly. "Why'd you break up?"

"Because they kept harassing me with texts and phone calls." Even she had to crack a smile at the irony, despite her best efforts. With an understanding smile, Cath reached out and found Sara's hand in the dark, interlocking their fingers loosely.

"Listen honey, guys like that are not worth your time. They're insecure and pathetic and they will drag you down into their own little twisted world. I say run – fast – and don't look back." She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Sara's cheek. After a moment she heard the brunette hum in agreement.

"That makes sense. And I'd be inclined to agree." She said softly. "Except Sam's a woman."

Sara rolled over, so her back was facing Catherine. The blonde stared at her for a whole minute before shuffling closer, pressing her body against Sara's back.

"Say that again."

"You heard me." Sara retorted, attempting to swallow back the smile trying to escape. She heard Catherine chuckle against her ear.

"Yes I did." She agreed. "And, is she the first..."

"No." Sara cut her off. Cath pursed her lips, a smile forming.

"Out of curiosity, the boys don't know do they?" Sara sat up so suddenly it startled Cath into jumping back.

"No and I don't want them to." She said, trying and failing to disguise the unexpected fear lacing her voice. Suddenly feeling guilty, Catherine placed a comforting hand on her arm.

"Relax, I won't say a word." She promised, her tone changing instantly to one of compassion.

"Thank you." Sara breathed, running a hand through her hair.

"It's okay." Cath assured her, that sly smile creeping back onto her face. "But I'm the first to know, right? At work." Sara rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you're the first."

"Good." Cath patted her arm and lay back down. Sara blinked at her in the darkness.

"That's it?" She asked curiously. Cath frowned.

"What?"

"You're okay with this ... arrangement?" When Cath clearly didn't know what she was talking about she elaborated. "Us sharing a bed."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Cath chuckled softly.

"I don't know, some people can feel uncomfortable about it." Sara shrugged, twisting the covers in her hands nervously. Cath propped herself up on her elbow, letting her hand rest on Sara's arm.

"Sara, sweetie, I ..." she paused, looking for the best way to phrase this. "You know we love you, right?" In the darkness she saw Sara nod. "We would never judge you for this. I wouldn't."

"I know." She whispered.

"Good." Cath smiled, leaning up to press a kiss on her cheek before snuggling back down. When Sara made no movement to lay down herself, Cath's arms snaked around her slim waist and dragged her under the covers. "Go to sleep, honey." She whispered.

"Thanks Cat." Sara mumbled softly. Cath's eyes blinked open, a cheeky smile creeping onto her face.

"Just keep your hands to yourself, kid." She teased as her hands darted out to tickle Sara's sides, eliciting a startled giggle.

X x x

Catherine was relieved to see that Sara had relaxed considerably by morning and was in a remarkably good mood over breakfast.

Which is why she was so disappointed when they all took their places in the group therapy room and the brunette's defences sky-rocketed.

The room itself was fairly bleak: nine chairs arranged in a circle in front of a large, decidedly untidy desk. There were a few shelves stacked haphazardly with an assortment of psychology books.

Contrary to Cath and Sara, the guys looked like they'd had a somewhat un-restful night while 'bunking up'.

Finally, a door at the far end of the room opened and a tall man with greying hair and a beard sauntered over-enthusiastically inside.

"Good morning." He announced cheerfully. "Las Vegas Crime Lab? I'll be you're therapist for this week." He continued, relieving himself of his coat in one swift motion and swaggering theatrically across the room to the amusement and bewilderment of the CSIs. "Let's see if we can't get this team back on track again shall we?"

"Uh, good morning Mr..." Ecklie trailed off, his hand held out in greeting. The shrink flashed him a wide grin and wrapped the startled man in a hug.

"Dr Gonzo. Pleased to meet you."

**x x x x**

_**:) Any Fear and Loathing fans out there? :P**_


	4. The Shrink

**The Shrink**

"Now, as I'm sure you're all aware," he began, releasing a shell-shocked Ecklie back into the group; "you're all here to improve your team dynamic. And that's why I'm here."

"Our team is fine." Grissom said defensively. Dr Gonzo's gaze flashed between Grissom and Ecklie. Eventually, he sat down, relaxed back into his seat and gestured towards them.

"Okay, why don't you tell me what prompted you to come here?"

Grissom sent an irritated look in Ecklie's direction, indicating that he could explain. Taking the hint, Conrad sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Well, it started a couple of months ago. Nick Stokes," he gestured to the Texan, "was kidnapped at a crime scene."

"I see." Dr Gonzo nodded, his eyes scanning Nick's face briefly before turning his attention back to Ecklie.

"After that, the team all started working together again after previously being split up."

"After you split us up." Warrick pointed out dryly.

"Anyway," Ecklie said, throwing a glare at the dark-skinned man. "A couple of weeks ago Grissom, Willows, Stokes and Sidle were working a crime scene when someone shot at Sidle."

Dr Gonzo cast his eyes around the room, eventually letting them settle on Sara, who was staring resolutely at the floor.

"And..." he pressed calmly. Ecklie shrugged awkwardly.

"Well, if they'd been working as a better team then it wouldn't have happened."

Dr Gonzo stood up and paced around the outside of the circle for a moment, a thoughtful frown on his face. He turned to Sara and opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Alright," he said at last. "Tell me what happened." The question was directed at the whole group but it was Grissom that spoke.

"At the crime scene?"

"Yes. Tell me, why did it happen?" Everyone went quiet, waiting for someone else to take the floor as it were. Eventually, Grissom cleared his throat.

"It was a murder scene – gun shot." He began. "Sara was working in the front garden. Brass was talking to neighbours. The killer came back – he'd been taking drugs and panicked when he saw the police so..."

"He pulled out a gun." Dr Gonzo finished. He tapped his pen on his knee thoughtfully. "Then what? Were you hurt Miss Sidle?"

"She hit her head when she fell to avoid the bullet." Nick answered for her.

"Alright. And how did you deal with this, as a team?"

"Sara went to hospital..."

"You phoned an ambulance?" He clarified, cutting the young man off mid-sentence.

"I took her." Catherine corrected, speaking up for the first time.

"Okay, Miss Willows?" He checked. "You drove her to the hospital. What then?" Cath frowned, not exactly sure what he wanted to know,

"Um, she was seen to and then I took her home."

"You took her home, to her house?"

"We stopped at the lab first." Sara added quietly. When he lifted an eyebrow for her to elaborate she shrugged. "Paperwork."

"I took her to my house; the doctors thought she might have concussion." Catherine continued. Dr Gonzo nodded enthusiastically as he listened.

"Well, I hope you're feeling better." He nodded at Sara, receiving a sarcastic smile in return. Not that he was paying attention anymore. He had turned back to Ecklie, who had been rolling his eyes throughout the team's story.

"So, Mr Ecklie. I repeat; why did you bring the team here this week?"

"Because of that." He said, frowning.

"Well, as far as I can tell there was an incident at work that was dealt with in a professional and caring manner. Everybody's still here and I'm assuming Mr...Shooter is in prison."

"Damn right." Brass chimed in gruffly.

"So then, I fail to see how these two events concerning Mr Stokes and Miss Sidle led to you booking this course."

Ecklie huffed exasperatedly. "You don't understand; this team have the highest record of incidents at work in the history of the lab." He explained. Dr Gonzo gestured for him to continue so he held up his hands and began counting off on his fingers. "Five years ago Grissom nearly got himself killed by a serial killer armed with an axe. Stokes got himself a stalker; Catherine got attacked at a crime scene..."

"That scene wasn't properly cleared." Cath interjected, earning her a glare.

"And," Conrad continued, "She nearly dated a murder suspect. Oh, and of course she blew up the lab, nearly killing Sanders and Sidle in the process." As he spoke Catherine slunk down in her seat, glowering at Ecklie beneath her eyelashes.

"Really?" Gonzo actually sounded impressed by her destructive record.

"And Sidle – she got held to ransom by a mental patient, pounced on a suspect and nearly blew herself up for the sake of some evidence."

"Important evidence." She added pointedly. He rolled his eyes.

"See, this is what I mean – they have no sense of respect for the rules or for each other's safety." His face broke out in a sneer. "Not to mention the law: gambling, drink-driving ..." Catherine felt Warrick twitch at her side but it was Sara who she was watching. The brunette's eyes flashed with anger, her skin paling.

"That's not cool, man." Nick snapped.

"You have no idea." Sara murmured, locking eyes with Ecklie across the circle.

"Now, let's back up a bit shall we." Gonzo tried to mediate but it was too late. The metaphorical camel's back had broken.

"Back off Conrad." Grissom warned.

"Figures you'd defend her, after all she is your little pet."

"Hey!" Sara snapped, insulted.

"Admit it Gil, it's the only reason she's still here."

"Hey, back off Ecklie." Nick repeated Grissom's warning. "Sara's a damn good CSI."

"It's okay Nick." Sara said quietly, putting a hand on his arm, but it was too late – his feathers were ruffled now.

"You come in and tear our team apart and then just when we're trying to get back to normal you insult us and drag us here to humiliate us?"

"Nicky." Catherine warned gently but he wasn't listening.

"Who gives you the right to talk to us like this?" He continued, getting hotter by the minute. Warrick placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to reign his temper in a bit.

"See Gil, this is some team you've got." Ecklie sneered, edging back a bit when Nick lunged for him.

"Now, now." Dr Gonzo called to no avail. "I think maybe a recess is in order. Who's for tea?"

"A drunk, a gambler, a stripper and angry boy here." The lab director continued, ignoring the shrink's attempts to calm the room.

"Hey," Greg called over the brewing fight, pointing at the door. En masse they turned to follow his line of sight in time to see the door slam shut. Head's turned as they deduced who was missing. Catherine released a sigh.

"Well done Conrad." She snapped, stalking to the door.

"Come on Nicky." Warrick dragged his mate by the arm, followed by Greg and Grissom.

"So, I guess we'll call it a day then?" Dr Gonzo suggested as the heavy door swung shut again with a loud bang. Brass wandered over from his safe viewing position by the window.

"Keep up the good work, Doc." He muttered as his drifted out after his teammates. Alone in the room, Ecklie turned to the rather stunned counsellor with a frustrated snarl.

"You see? You see what I have to work with?"

X x x

"Damn it!" Nick growled, holding his hand to his chest.

"Hey, don't take it out on the doorframe." Warrick chastised, sauntering over with the youngest team member hot on his heels.

"I should have hit him." The Texan snarled.

"Where are the girls?" Greg asked, peering around the corner.

"Cath's gone to find Sara." He said, still clutching his wounded hand.

"Do you think she's okay?"

"She'll be fine Greg." Warrick assured him. "Ecklie, on the other hand..."

X x x

In a hotel this size, needless to say it did not take Catherine long to find Sara.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, under the circumstances?" She asked, taking a seat next to the brunette at the bar. Sara scowled at her, nursing a bottle between her hands. "Joke." Cath said, holding up her hands. She shook her head when the barman started to approach and turned to face her young colleague. "Don't let him get to you."

"What if he's right?" Sara asked, taking Catherine by surprise.

"Sara..." she started, but the young woman cut her off.

"What if the only reason I work there is because of Grissom ... because of..." she didn't finish her sentence, but then she didn't need to. "It's not the first time I've had that thought." Cath reached out and covered Sara's hand with her own.

"Sara, you are a great CSI. Grissom's feelings aside, our team wouldn't be the same without you." She insisted forcefully. When Sara averted her gaze, Catherine gripped her hand tighter. "Hey, look at me." She said sternly. Slowly, Sara cast her eyes upwards. Cath offered a small smile that she hoped would be comforting. "Sara, do these feelings have anything to do with what we were talking about last night?" She asked gently. Sara fidgeted with the bottle in her hands nervously.

"What do you mean?"

"Honey, there is nothing wrong with who you are. Don't let anything that Ecklie, or anyone else says make you think otherwise." Sara did not look entirely convinced so Cath grabbed her stool and physically turned her around, making it significantly harder for her to avoid the blonde's gaze. Having got her undivided attention the older woman didn't speak; she just waited for Sara to open up. After a long minute, she took a deep breath and started to talk.

"When they find out, people have a habit of deciding they don't want to be friends anymore." She admitted softly, wringing her hands together. "Or they start to keep themselves at arm's length. It's like I'm contagious." She shrugged helplessly. "I just don't want that to happen again." Catherine shook her head, a sympathetic smile on her face.

"Oh Sara," she whispered. "That's never going to happen." She reached out and pulled the young brunette into her arms, rubbing her back gently. Sara let herself relax into Cath's embrace, breathing in deeply.

"Thank you." She mumbled against her neck. "You know," she mused pulling back, "you're the first straight female friend I have who has taken it well."

Catherine laughed and stood up, trailing a hand across her friend's shoulder.

"Come on, let's go." Sara shook her head, indicating her half-finished drink.

"Thanks, I'm gonna stay here for a while." When Catherine sent her a sceptical look she smiled reassuringly. "I just need to think for a while." She promised. Cath narrowed her eyes and nodded.

"Okay. Don't be too long." The blonde started to walk away but stopped, leaning down towards Sara's ear. "By the way; when, in five years working together, have you ever heard me say I'm straight?"

On her way to the lobby she turned back only once, throwing a wicked grin towards the perplexed CSI staring at her across the bar.

**x x x x**

_**Cyber snacks for anyone who reviews :)**_


	5. The Night

**The Night**

In her defence, she had every intention of doing as Catherine asked and going upstairs once she finished her drink.

But he just had to walk in didn't he.

X x x

When over an hour had gone by and there was still no sign of Sara, Catherine started to get concerned. When the two hour mark started to loom, she went in search of her MIA colleague.

She had expected to find her still sitting at the bar; maybe the boys had found her and were keeping her occupied. Worst case scenario, she pictured her slumped at the bar with a fort of empty bottles surrounding her.

She certainly did not expect to get half-way down the corridor and see Sara pinned against a wall with some guy's tongue down her throat. He seemed to be attempting to find his key card without breaking their connection and, judging by the way Sara was using his body to hold herself up, Cath assumed they had shared more than a few drinks before getting here.

They were both clearly oblivious to the blonde's presence as she stalked down the hall towards them. By this time he had found his card and was trying to blindly scan it the correct way around in his inebriated state when Catherine forcibly shoved him aside and wrenched Sara free of his grip.

"Catherine!" she yelped, startled. Mystery dude, who in any other situation she would have found quite attractive, blinked at her in shock.

"She's not available tonight." Cath snapped at him, hauling Sara roughly down the corridor by her arm. He watched them go with great puzzlement before falling into his own room with an amused chuckle.

"Let go of me." The brunette growled, trying and failing miserably to release herself from the older woman's vice-like grip. At their room, Catherine practically launched Sara through the door, slamming it behind them. Sara stumbled, landing inelegantly on the bed. Cath ran a hand through her hair as she approached, her blue eyes practically firing sparks.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She barked harshly. Sara started to stand up; ignoring her, but Cath pushed her back down again, standing over her threateningly. "Sara, what were you thinking?" She repeated. "Do you have any idea what would have happened if you'd gone in there?"

"I have an inkling." Sara mumbled sarcastically. Catherine opened her mouth to shout but managed to stop herself, taking a deep breath and lowering her voice.

"I know you're upset but this is not the way to deal with it." She tried to empathise with the girl. When it was clear that Sara was not interested, she sat down on the bed beside her. "Look, it's been a long day. Let's just forget this happened; you'll feel better after some sleep."

"Yeah, 'cause that's going to solve all of my problems." Sara mocked, rocking to her feet and stalking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Cath asked, jumping back up herself.

"I'm going to see if my date's still conscious." Sara threw half-seriously over her shoulder. Catherine pelted up behind her, grabbing her arm again and swinging her around.

"Because that will solve your problems?" She countered bluntly. Sara looked away without a word. Cath shook her head with disappointment and released her. "Fine, do what you want." Sara remained by the door for a minute, watching her walk back to the bed before turning to leave. However, when Catherine turned around Sara was slumped against the door, her head in her hands. With a sigh, she walked slowly back to her friend and crouched down next to her.

"I hate this." She heard Sara mumble.

"Sara, go to bed." Cath said softly. "You need to sober up."

"I need to make it go away." The brunette retorted angrily. "I need everything to go away.

"Honey, I know that you're upset, and you're angry. And I know you're on the rebound. But that's no excuse for you to go out doing stupid things like this."

"Would you rather I stayed in and did stupid things?" Sara muttered. Catherine's expression gave away the fact that she didn't quite follow but Sara just laughed darkly. "Trust me, this is the least self-destructive way for me to deal." She assured her supervisor. Catherine bit her lip, dying to ask the question, but knowing it was not the right time she stuck to the subject at hand.

"Sara, this is never the way to deal with what's bothering you. You have to talk it out."

"I don't want to talk." Sara insisted, pulling herself to her feet and walking to the middle of the room where she began to pace. "I just want to forget everything for a while. I need to forget. I need..." she left the sentence hanging but the implication was clear. Catherine stood up and sidled slowly towards her.

"Alright." She agreed. "So do it with me." Sara did a double take.

"What?"

Without warning, Catherine kissed her. Sara jumped at the sudden intrusion, accidently falling backwards onto the bed in the process and pulling Catherine atop her.

"What the hell?" she asked breathlessly when they came apart.

"If sex is what you need to deal with this then fine, but I am not going to let you run off and sleep with some stranger." Cath explained, her hands pinning Sara down by the shoulders. Sara continued to blink at her in bemusement.

"You're not serious." She asked, baffled. Catherine just raised an eyebrow and pressed their lips together again, effectively claiming control of the kiss with her tongue.

"Try me." She whispered against the brunette's lips.

X x x

Catherine had freckles. Sara had never noticed this until now. She was laid on her side, watching the blonde sleep beside her. Catherine was curled up, a soft frown on her face; as if she knew she was being watched. Sara reached out and tenderly brushed a stray strand of hair away, letting her fingertips ghost over the creamy skin. Catherine stretched out a bit, her frown deepening and scrunched her eyes closed. Sara smiled at the disgruntled look; not a morning person obviously. Blue eyes opened at last and searched Sara's face curiously.

"Hey." The young brunette whispered.

"Hey." Cath echoed, her voice husky from sleep. Her hands appeared from beneath the covers to rub at her eyes sleepily. "What time is it?" She asked, not that she really cared. Sara reached out and snatched her phone off the table beside her.

"Just after 5." Cath groaned a bit and shuffled, folding her arm beneath her head.

"Too early." She muttered, letting her eyes drift close again. Sara thought she had fallen back sleep so she inched a bit closer and settled back under the covers.

"Thank you." She whispered, letting her fingertips trace a pattern on Catherine's bare stomach beneath the duvet. When Sara went to pull her hand back Catherine's shot out and gripped her wrist, stilling her movements. There was a beat of silence before a sleepy voice mumbled;

"You're welcome."

**x x x x**

**:) Pleaseee ...  
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	6. The Deal

**The Deal**

"So," Cath said not-so-subtly, "is there anything you want to tell me?" Sara stopped putting her t-shirt on and looked up.

"Like what?" She asked, puzzled.

"Oh, I don't know; like why you were going to sleep with a strange drunk man last night?" The brunette's cheeks turned pink.

"Oh. That."

"Yes, that." Cath agreed, walking around the bed to sit next to her. "Sara ... when I left you in the bar you were fine. What happened?" Sara offered up a shrug. Catherine frowned at her non-answer. "Look lady, I know how to make you talk." She pointed out, smirking as Sara's cheeks turned even brighter.

"Someone said something that just ... hit a nerve." She admitted.

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter." Sara mumbled shyly.

"Come on Sara, tell me who." Cath pressed, inching closer. Realising that arguing was futile; the brunette took a deep breath.

"Ecklie."

"Ecklie?" Cath frowned. "When did you..." she paused, filling in the gaps. "He came to the bar." Sara nodded glumly. "What did he say?"

"What do you think? That I'm a drunk. That I shouldn't be here. That I can't rely on Grissom to cover for me forever." She moped sadly. "I don't know Cat, maybe he's right." Cath released a frustrated sigh.

"Sara, how many times do I have to tell you? You are perfect. Stop beating yourself up." The brunette sent her a grateful, albeit disbelieving smile.

"I just..." she began tentatively. "With what happened to Nick, and everything that's going on with Sam, and now this; I just feel like I want to get away from it all." A fearful thought planted itself in Catherine's mind but she clamped down on it forcefully.

"Running away won't solve your problems Sara." Cath promised her. "Didn't I teach you anything last night?" She added with a teasing smile.

"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe you should try again." Sara retorted with a grin, glad to have lifted the tension a bit. Cath chewed her lip and poked Sara in the side playfully.

"Cheeky."

X x x

"Alright my guys," Dr Gonzo began, pacing around the room. He had made a judgement call and replaced the circle of chairs with three sofas, deciding that it would be better if the CSIs were not facing each other. "In light of yesterday's...events, we're going to do things differently." He pulled a chair around and sat down in front of them. "First of all: ground rules."

There was a unanimous disgruntled moan that Dr Gonzo chose to ignore.

"Number one: there will be no shouting. Number two: there will be no insulting or name-calling. Number three: there will be no mention of personal details, unless it is relevant to the conversation at hand. Number four:..."

"We get it." Catherine jumped in, holding her hands up. Gonzo gave her a pointed look and continued.

"Number four: no interrupting." Catherine rolled her eyes and sunk back into the cushions with a pissed off grunt, much to the amusement of the brunette sitting next to her. "Number five: no throwing, kicking, hitting, biting, slapping or ..." he stopped and thought for a moment, counting off the words he had included so far; "there's another but I can't remember it. So, on that note..."

"Can we get on with it please?" Ecklie asked through gritted teeth. Gonzo sent him a look.

"Yes, that's exactly where I was going." He nodded. "And since you just broke rule four, we'll start with you." Ecklie's face fell. "So, Conrad. Tell me, what do you dislike about this team?"

"What?" The startled man asked.

"Well, from what I've read in your file you seem to have had several dealings with the night shift. So, I want to know what your personal opinion is." Ecklie straightened up and tugged on his shirt sleeves, as if he was preparing to make a speech.

"I think they're very good CSIs."

"_Personal_ opinion, Conrad." Gonzo emphasized. Ecklie released a breath, casting a glance around the room.

"I think they're too close." He said at last. Someone in the room scoffed but, since he didn't know who, the shrink let it slide. "They let their friendships, and rivalries, cloud their judgement instead of focussing on the case. And when one of them does something stupid, they cover for each other."

"I see." Dr Gonzo scribbled something down in the notepad he'd pulled from nowhere. "Rivalries you say?"

"Certain members of the team have been known to have ... clashes." A small smirk twitched at the corner of his lips.

"And who might those certain members be?" Gonzo pressed, already starting to form an unflattering opinion of the lab director.

"Well..."

"He's talking about the girls." Grissom jumped in, getting frustrated with Ecklie's dithering. "And he's exaggerating; they get on fine."

"Really? Anything to add?" He asked, directing the question to Catherine and Sara. Cath sat up, folding her arms defensively.

"Sara and I have had ... disagreements, occasionally. But it's never cost us a case."

"I see." Dr Gonzo nodded, standing up and starting to pace, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Anyone else had 'disagreements'?"

There were a few uncomfortable shuffles and people suddenly became very interested in their shoes or their fingernails. At the awkward silence that followed Dr Gonzo pursed his lips and sat back down, crossing his legs.

"The reason I ask is because, upon reflection of yesterday's session, I have decided to split you up and counsel you in small groups." He started, ignoring the mixed looks of surprise and disbelief. "However, that doesn't mean you're not going to be working together. Each day there will be a group task." The team exchanged a look of uncertainty.

"What kind of task?" Warrick asked suspiciously. Dr Gonzo smiled enigmatically.

"Well you'll just have to wait and find out, won't you?" His eyes twinkled and you could be forgiven for thinking he was enjoying this form of mental torture. "So, Miss Willows and Miss Sidle; we'll start with you two tomorrow." Catherine raised an eyebrow and Sara pursed her lips but neither responded. "In the meantime, you are all free to go for the afternoon. Maybe you can use the time productively to discuss what you might like to talk about in your group sessions."

"So, that's it? We can just go?" Nick asked, already starting to stand up.

"Yes, you can go." He nodded. Everyone rose and made for the door until his voice froze them. "Except you," he turned in his chair, "Mr Grissom and Mr Ecklie."

X x x

"I have nothing against them personally," Ecklie repeated.

Grissom muttered something inaudible beneath his breath. Gonzo's eyes flicked to his.

"Rule four: you're next." He said, pointing at the other man before turning back to Ecklie. "Go on." His voice was irritatingly calm as he sat back and simply quirked an eyebrow.

"There's not enough respect between anyone on that team." He explained. "Gil doesn't listen to them and they don't listen to him."

"They listen to me." Gil jumped in insolently. Ecklie scoffed.

"Oh please, even your pet Sidle nearly left because of it." He pointed out. Grissom's eyes widened; he wasn't aware that Ecklie knew about that incident!

"You've said that before – you're 'pet'. What's that about?" The doctor interrupted.

"Sidle was brought in when a new CSI, Holly Gribbs, was shot and killed. Gil's always had a soft spot for her; he lets her get away with murder."

"I see, I see." Dr Gonzo nodded. "Holly Gribbs," he turned her name over his tongue slowly. "Tell me about her."

X x x

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Sara asked while they ambled around the small hotel grounds.

"Sure, shoot." Cath said. Sara chewed her bottom lip nervously for a moment.

"Well, last night you said that you weren't straight. And then you..." she trailed off, blushing furiously. "I was just wondering ..."

"I used to date women too." Cath explained before the brunette could turn a deeper shade of red. "Then I met Eddie and, I don't know. Things changed."

"I see." Sara nodded, resuming staring straight ahead. Cath sent her a sideways glance. There was something she had wanted to broach with her young colleague and now seemed like a good enough time as any.

"Since we're on the subject of last night, I was thinking about what you said this morning, and last night." Sara sent her a curious look. "About wanting to run away from it all? And about having self-destructive tendencies?"

"I said that?" Sara asked, her voice suddenly weak.

"Yeah, you did." Cath nodded, matching her tone. "I was just thinking, since you clearly have stuff that you need to deal with," she licked her lips nervously. "Well, what if I can help with that?"

"What do you mean?" Sara asked, thoroughly lost. Cath stopped walking and turned to the brunette.

"What if we carry on, from last night?"

"Carry on..." Sara repeated softly as the penny dropped.

"Look, we're away from home and we're stuck in a hotel room together. Why don't we make the most of this?"

"You're actually serious?" Sara asked, confounded. Catherine chewed on the inside of her cheek, searching for the right way to explain her thinking.

"Look, you're on the rebound; I've been there. And, God knows it's been long enough since I've..." she trailed off when Sara's lips spread into a grin. "Anyway," she continued with a glare, "maybe this would be good for both of us."

"Sleeping together?" Sara checked they were on the same page and she had not just massively misunderstood the conversation. Apparently she hadn't.

"Yeah." Cath shrugged. When Sara continued to stare at her blankly she took a deep breath, tilting her head back for a moment, and placed her hands on Sara's arms.

"Sara, I saw you last night. You obviously need to get this out of your system. Now, I don't have a problem with that, but at least this way you can do that with someone who you trust. Someone who isn't going to hurt you." Sara looked away uncertainly, or embarrassed. "You said to me that you do self-destructive things when you're feeling hurt. I've got a pretty good idea of what that means," the blonde had lowered her voice despite the fact that they were alone but Sara still cast a wary glance around them. "If you need to deal then that's fine, but I do not want to spend all week worrying about what you're getting up to. At least if you're with me I know that you're safe."

"Cath, I can't ask you to do this for me." Sara mumbled, kicking the dusty ground with her boots anxiously.

"You're not asking. I'm offering." The blonde pointed out. "I just want to help you. And it's not like I wouldn't be getting something out of it..." she saw the young brunette's lips twitch into a smile.

"But, won't that be weird? I mean, what happens when we get back to Vegas?" Sara asked, trying to ignore the little voice in her head telling her to shut up and agree with the plan.

"Well, we can either end it when we walk out of here and not mention this week again. Or..." she left the sentence hanging, raising her eyebrows playfully.

**x x x x**

**:)**


	7. The Session

**Hey guys, thanks for the reviews so far :) The bits in **_**italics**_** are meant to be flashbacks of sorts from Dr Gonzo's session with Ecklie and Grissom from the day before, and these will continue throughout the rest of the story. **

**Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think **

**KC x**

**x x x x**

**The Session**

Sara shuffled awkwardly in her seat, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. Contrarily, Catherine looked remarkably calm, bordering on bored. Dr Gonzo pretended to be scribbling something down in his notepad, all the while surreptitiously watching the two women out of the corner of his eye. It had not escaped his notice that Sara seemed to be purposefully putting more distance between them then was necessary. Neither did it elude him that she was wearing an unseasonably long-sleeved shirt that she was perpetually tugging on anxiously.

After a good few minutes, when Catherine's incessant foot-tapping started to get irritating, he sat back and admired the doodle of a pig he had drawn.

"Right, good morning ladies." He began pleasantly. One thing he loved about psychology was how even a simple greeting could tell you so much about a person: Catherine was impatient, obviously not a woman who was used to being kept waiting; and Sara did not like shrinks.

Something had drawn him to the brunette as soon as he'd set eyes on her. She'd been in therapy before, he could tell that much: she knew how this game was played. He'd bet that he could spend hours trying to break down the facade she had built around herself and still barely scratch the surface.

But this was not about stretching his skills; it was about fixing the team relationship.

"As you know I had a word with your boss and your supervisor yesterday and they brought up a few things that I think need discussing today. However, if you have anything that you want to discuss with each other then feel free to jump in; we have all morning."

"Great." Sara muttered.

"Okay, let's start with what happened to bring you here. Sara, you were injured at a crime scene." He nodded at the brunette. "Catherine, how did you feel when you realised what had happened?" The question seemed to take both girls by surprise. He smiled inwardly; that meant they probably didn't know where he was going with this.

"I was ... scared, I guess." Cath admitted, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously. "After what happened with Nick I didn't want anyone else getting hurt."

"I understand that you reacted quite badly to the incident." He pressed.

"_It was Catherine that gave me the idea to come here." Ecklie explained at last. "She flipped out after Sara was shot at."_

"_Flipped out?" Gonzo raised an eyebrow. _

"_She was very distraught." Grissom interjected. "She can get quite over-protective sometimes."_

"_So, she suggested this trip?" _

"_Not in so many words." Ecklie corrected. "She demanded that I make better provisions to ensure the team were safe. So..."_

"_...this is your provision." Gonzo finished for him. _

"I was scared," she repeated. "I saw the gun and I saw blood. I thought she'd been hit." Her voice started to crack a little as the image of Sara on the ground with blood streaked down her pale face flashed before her eyes.

"_At first Catherine wouldn't let anyone else go near her. She insisted on taking her to the hospital herself and staying with her." _

"_And Sara?"_

_Ecklie scoffed. "Sara was out of it." _

"This isn't the first time that you've had a ... shall we say aggressive reaction to Miss Sidle being injured, is it?" Sara looked up, surprised to hear this. Cath choked out a dry laugh.

"Look, I care about my team. And if one of them gets hurt then yes, I get angry."

"Angry." He nodded thoughtfully. "But do you always lash out at your other colleagues?" Catherine swallowed the lump that was starting to rise in her throat. Sara clearly did not understand what he was talking about, but he chose to focus his attention on the blonde: he folded his arms and locked eyes with her. "Tell me about the mail-order bride case." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sara shake her head, a flash of anger cross her face.

"We dealt with that." She muttered. He turned to her, surprised to get a rise out of her so soon.

"How?" He asked calmly. Sara took a deep breath.

"I crossed the line. I apologised." She stated, albeit through gritted teeth. He absently wondered whether her apology had been as forced.

"So, that was it? End of?" He continued, casting a sly glance at Catherine.

"Yes." Sara frowned.

"No." Cath countered softly. When Sara sent her a puzzled look, Cath responded with an apologetic one. "After you got suspended I knew that Grissom had talked to you. The way he was acting, I knew that I was missing something." Something inside Sara's mind clicked and her eyes clouded with hurt.

"_Catherine came into my office, demanding to know what Sara had said. I ... I tried to explain that Sara had told me in confidence, but she doesn't give up easily..."_

"He told you."

"I'm sorry." Cath offered weakly. "I just wanted to know how to help you."

"I don't believe this." Sara shook her head weakly. Dr Gonzo could sense something starting to shift between the women and jumped in.

"And this information that you received; is that why you reacted so violently when young Miss Sidle was attacked at a crime scene a matter of months later?"

"The case at the mental hospital?" Sara frowned, even more confused now.

"I wouldn't say violently." Cath retorted with a hint of defensiveness. Gonzo flicked back a few of pages in his notebook.

"According to Dr Grissom, you 'stormed into his office and demanded to know what happened. Then you threatened to –" a bewildered look crossed the counsellor's face as he continued "– squash his spider if he ever did anything so stupid again, before slamming his door shut so hard it made his singing fish fall down'." Catherine pursed her lips, recalling the conversation.

"I was joking about the spider." She commented dryly. Sara's eyes narrowed at the blonde.

"How much did he tell you?" She asked cautiously.

"Enough." A look passed between the two women that Gonzo couldn't decipher. Despite his curiosity, he chose not to ask what they were so obviously hiding and tried to get them back on track about Catherine's deviant pursuance of information about the brunette.

"If you wanted answers about her, why didn't you ask Miss Sidle herself?" He felt a little bad for putting Catherine on the spot like that but he needed to hear her answer. More to the point, he needed Sara to hear her answer.

"Because I knew she wouldn't tell me." The blonde explained honestly. However, that was not quite the answer he was looking for.

"Catherine, why did you want to know what was wrong? Why did you want to know what was going through Sara's head?"

"So I could help her!" She repeated forcefully. "So she would...trust me." Her voice softened as a satisfied smile crept onto Gonzo's face. That was the answer he'd been looking for.

"_Sara struggles to open up to people. She finds it hard to let someone in."_

"_And Catherine wanted to be in?"_

"_Catherine likes to think that she can get any information out of anyone. Sara's an enigma for her. Before she'll open up she needs to trust someone."_

"_Does she trust Catherine?" _

"Why do you think she doesn't?" Catherine and Dr Gonzo both saw the fearful look that crossed Sara face, but only Catherine knew what it meant. She tried to catch the brunette's eye, to let her know it was okay, but the young woman was refusing to meet her gaze.

"I trust Sara with everything. I would tell her anything, but she won't even open up to me a little." She shook her head, looking away. "I just thought if I knew more about her then she might start to trust me."

"You don't trust me." Sara spoke up quietly. Catherine blinked at her, taken aback. Dr Gonzo hid a smile. Another reaction from the stoic young woman was another step in the right direction.

"What makes you say that Sara?" He asked. The brunette suddenly seemed to remember that he was in the room and clammed up. "Sara, answer the question." He pushed.

"We're not close. Catherine ... she's not the same around me as she is around the boys." Gonzo made a note of this, noting especially how she was talking to him and not to Catherine herself.

"Why do you think this is?"

"Eddie." She mumbled at last. Gonzo frowned.

"Eddie?"

"My Ex husband." Catherine filled in the blanks for him. "Sara investigated his murder a few years ago."

"I see." He nodded. "And, what does that have to do with Catherine not trusting you?" Sara kept her eyes trained on the door as she answered, as if she was planning on making a run for it.

"Because I didn't solve it." She admitted quietly. Even from here he could feel the self-disgust emanating off the girl at her own words. Clearly, this was a big issue of contempt for her.

"Catherine?" He directed for the blonde to speak, but she was too surprised to form words.

"I care about you just as much as I do the boys." She promised. "I ... I understand about Ed. That was a complicated case: Sara, you did the best you could." She offered, reaching out a hand to the brunette. Gonzo watched almost in slow motion as Catherine's fingertips brushed the back of Sara's hand and Sara in turn jerked it away from the comforting touch. Cath retracted her hand sadly, letting her gaze fall back into her lap.

Perhaps the older CSI had been right; Sara didn't trust her. Since the young woman had apparently clammed up, he decided it was time to change the subject.

"Alright, we can come back to this." He said, making it clear that Sara was not off the hook. "Catherine," he turned back to the blonde. "Tell me about Holly Gribbs." The older woman nearly fell off her seat.

"Sorry?" She double checked that she had heard correctly.

"Holly Gribbs. Tell me about her." Cath shuffled uncomfortably.

"Like what?"

"You had some contact with her before she died. How did her death affect you?" She shrugged, averting her gaze.

"_Catherine took Holly's death quite badly." Grissom admitted. "She was the one who had convinced her to stay. I think she felt responsible for her." _

"I felt guilty." She confessed quietly. "I convinced her to stay. If I'd just let her go she'd still be alive."

"And Sara wouldn't be here." Dr Gonzo added. Catherine flicked her gaze up, running her eyes over Sara's face.

"No." She agreed softly.

"So, perhaps part of the reason you pushed Miss Sidle away when you first met was due to your resentment of the circumstances under which she arrived?"

"No." She repeated, firmly this time. "No, I didn't resent her. I ..."

"What?" Sara asked softly, gaining her attention. A small smile twitched at Dr Gonzo's lips. The younger of the two was starting to crack.

Catherine cast a brief glance at her before turning her attention back to her lap.

"I couldn't bear the thought that I might lose you too." She swallowed, willing herself to meet Sara's eyes. "I thought if I kept you at a distance then I could handle it if...you know."

"So," Dr Gonzo leant forward, intrigued by this new revelation. "You were scared to let Sara in like you had done with Holly, in case history repeated itself?" Cath shrugged, nodding imperceptibly. "And yet you still care for her?"

"Of course." Blue eyes flicked up to meet his. "I..." she was going to stop but at his encouraging nod she continued. "I worry about her."

"You want to keep her safe." He translated. "Which is why you have lashed out after she's been hurt. It's why you took her home after the incident last week."

"Yes." She agreed quietly.

"Are you still scared of losing her?" He asked, his eyes trained on Sara's reaction. Catherine looked up, her answer instinctive and firm.

"Yes."

Sara had looked away but he could tell that she had taken in every word. Gonzo opened his mouth to speak but Catherine jumped in, adding a final sentiment.

"I love you just as much as the boys. The reason I treat you differently is because I know that they can look after themselves. I want to look after you, I just don't want to cross your boundaries." Having said her piece, Cath sat back and trained her eyes on the ground.

"Well then, Miss Sidle. You've heard Catherine's explanation. You know that she only has your best interests at heart." He recapped softly. "So, I ask you again Sara. Do you trust Catherine?"

"_Dr Grissom, does Sara trust Catherine?" Gil looked up, meeting his eyes. _

"_I don't know." _

X x x

The wind screeched around them, whipping their hair around their miserable faces as they huddled together in the small grounds behind the hotel.

"Alright, who's ready for some teambuilding?" Dr Gonzo asked enthusiastically, a big grin plastered on his face. There was a murmur of non-ardent agreement from the back of the group. "Excellent. Now, hands up, who's a fan of orienteering?"

X x x

"You're doing it wrong." Gil said for the fourth time.

"I know how to read a map, Gil." Ecklie argued, furrowing his brow in concentration.

"Then why are we going the wrong way?"

"How long do you think they're going to carry on with this for?" Brass muttered to Catherine as the pair of them trailed along behind.

"As long as it takes Ecklie to admit he's gotten us lost." She replied, sweeping her hair out of her face again with a frustrated sigh.

"So," Brass continued, tuning out the arguing men in front, "how did counselling go?" Catherine laughed.

"You're not very good at being subtle, you know that?" He just smiled, not caring. Cath shrugged. "It was ... interesting." She settled on at last. There was a scuffle and a thud up ahead that drew their attention to a disgruntled Ecklie on his hands and knees in the mud.

"Well done Conrad," Grissom huffed. "Now we have no map."

X x x

"Hey, back off Greggo, I know what I'm doing." Nick insisted.

"I'm telling you, we were meant to go left at the last fork." The spiky-haired man contradicted, pointing aimlessly behind them as they stumbled blindly through the sheltered wooded area behind the hotel.

"I'm telling you, we're on the right path."

"When you two ladies are quite finished." Warrick interjected dryly. "Man, I think we're lost."

"I bet Hodges would love this." Sara muttered, to herself really since no one else was listening to her.

"We're not lost." Nick came to an abrupt halt, holding the map out in front of him. "See, we've taken this path, which means we're here." He jabbed the battered piece of paper with his finger. "Which means the next clue is there." He pointed at an overgrown hedgerow to their right. Sara ambled over to investigate while Greg turned on the Texan.

"Why would there be a clue in a bush? I'm telling you we've gone wrong." Greg demanded.

"Hey guys, I found it." Sara called out. Unfortunately, they were too caught up in their fight to hear her.

They did, however, hear her sharp yelp, right before she disappeared into the hedge.


	8. The Falling

**The Falling**

"Sara! You okay?" Nick hollered down the embankment that had been secretly lurking behind the bushes. There was a disgruntled moan from the bottom of the muddy slope.

"Stay still, I'm coming down." Warrick called, already making his way gingerly down the hill to where Sara was laid in an ungraceful heap. Nick and Greg hovered at the top, watching as the dark-skinned man jumped the last couple of feet and landed with a thud. Regaining his balance, he rushed over to Sara's side. Despite his instructions she had already sat up and was tentatively trying to extract an extremely large splinter from her arm.

"Ow." She yelped when he landed beside her and placed a hand on her bruised shoulder.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I , uh..." she trailed off, holding her scraped hands out on front of her. She glanced back up from where she had fallen. "I thought I found a clue." She mumbled. Warrick chuckled at her obvious confusion.

"Don't worry about that." He assured her, giving her a brief once over. There were cuts and bruises aplenty but she didn't appear to have broken anything. He signalled a thumbs up to Nick and Greg before carefully gripping her arms. "Come on, on three." Slowly, he helped her to stand up. Nick had started to climb down the embankment and wrapped an arm around her waist when they reached him.

"Come on sweetie," he said gently. "Not far." Between them they supported her until she was back on solid ground, where she practically fell into Greg. The young man steadied her carefully, though refusing to let go of her. Upon finally getting to see her injuries up close, he gulped.

"Catherine's going to kill us."

X x x

"I can see the entrance." Grissom pointed straight ahead.

"Hallelujah." Catherine muttered dryly. There was a grunt from Ecklie, who continued to trail his muddy ass behind the rest of the group.

A strong gust of wind blew into the wooded tunnel as they emerged into the hotel grounds again –

– Only to be met by the startled glances of the other team emerging from an entirely different entrance.

X x x

Dr Gonzo jumped with surprise when not one but both teams stumbled back into the grounds from different exits. And neither from the right exit, it had to be mentioned.

For a long moment the two groups stared at each other across the untended green area where Gonzo was stood like a deer in the headlights, an illicit cigarette still smoking in his hand.

He was so surprised by the unexpected return of the CSIs that it took him a whole minute to notice that Ecklie was covered in mud and Sara looked like she'd been mauled by a bear. He was about to open his mouth and ask what happened when a strawberry blonde whirlwind tore past him.

"What happened?" She demanded, instinctively reaching out to the injured brunette.

"She fell down an embankment." Warrick explained, releasing the girl into Catherine's care. The blonde helped her to carefully sit down on the damp grass.

"There's no embankment on the map." Gonzo frowned.

"See, I told you we were lost!" Greg smacked Nick's arm.

"Well, if you hadn't been wittering in my ear the whole time maybe I wouldn't have gotten us lost!" Nick barked back.

"I wasn't 'wittering'. I was trying to tell you that we were going in the wrong direction!" Greg defended. Gonzo narrowed his eyes at them.

Brass, meanwhile, had joined Catherine in trying to tend to a very un-cooperative brunette.

"It's fine." Sara insisted, attempting weakly to prise Catherine off her.

"It's not fine." The blonde retorted, attempting to examine a dodgy looking gash on her head. Gonzo had to admit that he was intrigued to watch the first hand display of care dished out by the blonde, even if Sara was resisting to within an inch of her life. However his surreptitious staring was interrupted by an obscenely loud snort from Warrick.

"What the hell happened to you?" He laughed hysterically, gesturing to Ecklie's full-frontal mud-bath.

"Grissom got us lost." He sulked, trying to vein to wipe the mud off his suit jacket.

"You had the map!" Gil pointed out, insulted by the accusation.

"You kept wandering off to examine things." Ecklie retorted.

"You lost the map."

Dr Gonzo's eyes flicked from Nick and Greg, who were inches from a fist fight, to Sara still trying helplessly to free herself from Catherine's maternal grips, to Warrick chuckling wildly at Grissom and Ecklie's pathetic bickering.

"Oh shut up Gil!" Ecklie snapped. "You picked the path out, it's your fault we came out of the wrong exit."

"Time out!" Dr Gonzo hollered, waiting until the groups had finished their individual spats. "You all took the wrong path out!" Everyone blinked at him, surprised at such an angry reaction from a normally calm man.

"It was Nick's fault." Greg muttered under his breath.

"I don't care whose fault it was." Gonzo snapped. "My God; you came here to learn to be a better team to prevent anyone getting hurt again, and look!" He gestured to the brunette, still battling pitifully with the splinter embedded in her wrist. "Is that how she fell? Because you guys were too busy arguing over the map?" He guessed, correctly. There was a moment of remorseful silence while everyone's pathetic behaviour resonated amongst the group. Finally, Grissom spoke.

"Sara, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She nodded, albeit weakly. Gonzo held up his hands, getting their attention again.

"Catherine, take Sara upstairs and fix her up. The reception desk will have a first aid kit. Sara, do as she says." Cath nodded and, with the help of Brass, got Sara carefully stood back up while Gonzo continued to hand out instructions. "Nick, Greg. I want to see you two tomorrow at 10 am. The rest of you, I think we'll call it a day." He turned to leave before stopping and offering a final piece of advice. "Mr Ecklie, may I suggest a shower."

X x x

"Stop squirming!" Cath barked, gripping Sara's hips firmly.

"I can't help it." Sara whined, writhing out of Cath's grip. The blonde stopped what she was doing momentarily and tried to catch Sara's eye.

"Honey I know it hurts, but you need to let me do this. It's going to hurt a lot more if you don't." Sara stopped moving but did not look happy about it." Thank you." Cath mumbled, returning to the task of cleaning the dozens of scratches with rubbing alcohol. She would have preferred to use something milder, for Sara's sake more than anything, but the reception desk first aid kit had little to offer. Cath noticed Sara's hesitation in letting her touch her as she went to gently wipe the cloth across her bruised and battered skin. She released a soft sigh.

"Can you just trust me for once?" she asked softly. There was a long pause before Sara whispered her answer.

"I trust you." A small smile twitched at the corners of Catherine's mouth.

"Good to hear it." She mumbled, leaning forward to drop a kiss onto Sara's hair. She continued her work in silence until Sara spoke up again.

"Do you?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?" Cath blinked at her.

"Of course I do." When Sara's expression implied she did not believe her, Cath sighed and crouched down in front of her. "Sara, I wasn't lying in that session. I tell the guys things I would tell my hairdresser." Sara scrunched up her nose, not following the conversation. "I tell you things I wouldn't tell anyone else."

"Really?" Sara asked softly, her dark eyes flicking up nervously to meet Catherine's. The older woman smiled, a thought hitting her.

"Let's play a game: I ask you questions and you answer with the first thing that comes into that pretty little head of yours;"

"Cath," Sara rolled her eyes but the blonde ignored her.

"Which do you like better Italian or Chinese?"

"Cat..." Sara tried again.

"Answer the question. No thinking." Catherine scowled at her. Sara sighed.

"Italian."

"Who do you prefer, The Stones or The Straits?"

"Stones."

"Who would you rather sleep with, Nick or Greg?"

"Nick." Sara blushed as she realised too late that she'd answered that; a smirk creeping onto Catherine's face.

"Ecco or Dansko?"

"Ecco."

"What's _my_ favourite colour?"

"Green." Catherine smiled.

"How did you know that?" Sara opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she couldn't answer.

"I don't know."

"You know me better than anyone at the lab Sara." Cath pointed out. "Even if you aren't aware of it."

X x x

"Why do you think we're next?" Greg asked as he towel dried his spiky hair.

"Probably because of what happened to Sara." Nick theorised glumly. "Hey, do you think she's alright?"

"Yeah, I'm sure Catherine has her wrapped in cotton wool by now." They both laughed, glad to have eased the tension from earlier, even if just a little. Desperate to end the awkward silence that suddenly filled the space between them, Nick stood up and stretched.

"Well, I might go get a drink." Greg watched him walk to the door before he called out.

"Hey, I was going to order a movie." Nick turned, an eyebrow raised, "An action movie." The young man clarified. "You want to join me? Ecklie's tab, of course."

Nick smiled.

X x x

"Hey Sara," Cath asked later on once Sara was suitably patched up; "can I ask you something?"

"Sure, shoot." Sara mumbled, her eyes glued to the pages of her book.

"You said that you trust me, right?"

"I do." Sara confirmed.

"Then what was last night about?" Sara finally lowered her book, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that." She said softly.

"Everything was going great, and then..."

"I'm sorry." Sara cut her off. "I panicked." Catherine shuffled closer to her.

"You're not scared of me?" She asked, her voice both hopeful and fearful at the same time.

"Of course not." Sara promised. "I just ... I was scared of what you'd think of me if you noticed the scars." Her voice was barely above a whisper but Catherine heard her loud and clear. She offered a sad smile.

"Oh honey. I already knew." Sara nodded, risking a glance at her face.

"Apparently you know a lot more about me than I thought." Cath blushed.

"Yeah, I uh ... I didn't want you to find out like that. I'm sorry." Sara shrugged.

"To be honest I'm kind of glad that you know the truth." She explained. A pleased smile graced Catherine's face, albeit brief as she reached out a hand to gently caress the back of Sara's hand.

"Baby, please talk to me about it." She begged. Sara looked away, offering a weak shrug.

"I told you, I do self-destructive things when I'm down." Cath sighed.

"Yeah, well. You don't have to you know. I'm here if ever you need me." Sara nodded. There was a pensive silence which was broken by Sara laughing softly.

"You know, for a minute I thought you were going to out us to the shrink." Catherine laughed too, recalling the panicked look Sara had sent her in the session.

"Speaking of," she started tentatively; "are you willing to try again?" Sara lips twitched into a nervous smile.

"With everything you know about me I'm surprised you can even look at me." She mumbled. To her surprise, Catherine kissed her.

"I wouldn't change you for the world, honey."


	9. The Surprise

**Hey guys, thank you for being so patient. Again, the _italics_ are from Grissom and Ecklie's conversation with the Dr from chapter 6. **

**Also, there will be more explanation about Nick and Greg's rivalry I promise. Kind of a curveball I know but I needed an angle to go with. My story my rules :)**

**Hope you enjoy**

**x x x **

**The Surprise**

"Good morning." Dr Gonzo greeted the boys coolly when his office door swung open the following morning.

"Hey." Nick nodded, lifting his cup of machine-brewed coffee in greeting before taking a big mouthful. Greg settled on a brief nod and slumping into the couch.

Dr Gonzo watched them for a long moment. Finally, he dropped his pen onto his pad and folded his arms.

"Well, who wants to take a guess as to why we're here?" He started bluntly. The boys exchanged an uncertain look.

"Because Sara fell down a cliff." Greg guessed tentatively. Gonzo raised an eyebrow. "Is she..."

"I spoke to Catherine this morning. She's fine." He answered. Nick and Greg both visibly relaxed at the news. "Why don't you tell me how all that happened?"

"It was just a stupid fight," Nick said with a disregarding wave of the hand.

"About?" Gonzo pressed. Nick and Greg both shared a look and answered simultaneously.

"The map."

X x x

"Are you quite finished?" Cath mumbled sleepily. Sara stopped shuffling.

"Sorry." She murmured. "I can't get comfortable." Cath sat up, holding the covers against herself to protect her modesty, and snatched the tube of cream off the bedside table. Without warning she whipped the duvet off Sara, eliciting a surprised whimper. The brunette sent Cath a dark glance over her shoulder while the blonde began massaging lotion onto her various scratches.

"Don't give me that look." Cath muttered without tearing her eyes from her work. "If you will go tumbling down ravines."

"I assure you it wasn't intentional." Sara responded dryly, allowing Catherine to continue her work despite the cold air drifting over her bare skin. Once she had finished her back, Cath placed a firm hand on Sara's side and rolled her over. "Hey?" Sara yelped, startled by the movement. Cath just blinked at her and carried on with what she was doing. As her hands breezed over Sara's skin, there was a silence that felt like an age before Catherine finally spoke again.

"Is it helping?" She asked softly, letting her fingertips trace Sara's slender stomach.

"A little." Sara conceded quietly. Cath's eyes flicked briefly to hers.

"I meant us." There was a beat of silence and she began to wonder whether Sara had heard her.

"So did I."

X x x

"So, how long has this competitiveness between you two been going on?"

"We're not competitive." Nick scowled.

"Yeah, it's just ... joking around." Greg shrugged. Gonzo raised an eyebrow.

"'Joking around?' Is that what you were doing yesterday?"

"No." Nick conceded sullenly. "We only took our eyes off of her for a minute."

"A minute is long enough to fall down a cliff." Dr Gonzo pointed out. "It's long enough to get shot."

"Long enough to get kidnapped." Greg added, rolling his eyes. He could see where this was going.

"Exactly." Gonzo nodded appreciatively. "You guys are a team; and lately you're team is being pulled apart by separate issues. So far you've dodged several bullets, some of them not so metaphorical; but at this rate someone is going to get killed." He sat back for a moment, letting his words sink in. Eventually, folded his arms and continued. "So, why don't you tell me when this started?"

"_Nick and Greg have always had this sort of brotherly-banter thing going on." Ecklie said, scrunching his nose up._

"_So, they're close?" Gonzo asked. _

"_Sort of." Ecklie said, looking to Grissom for a more detailed answer. Grissom shrugged. _

"_All of my team are close." _

"_Yes, but how close are the boys?" Gonzo pressed. Grissom sighed. _

"_They're boys: they fight over the video game in the break room. They tease each other. But they look out for each other. Nick was one of the first to let Greg help on a case." _

"_Really?" Gonzo sat back thoughtfully. "Tell me about that."_

"There was a scuba-guy stuck up a tree."

"A scuba-guy?" Gonzo played dumb. "Up a tree?"

"He was already dead." Greg added hurriedly. "His tank exploded. Anyway..."

"Greg was helping me on the case." Nick filled in, sending the babbling man a sideways glance.

"Did Greg often help you on cases before he started working in the field?" Gonzo asked, tapping his pen on his notepad.

"Yeah I guess." Nick shrugged, releasing a chuckle. "Especially when a certain brunette was on the case." Greg threw him a petulant scowl. Gonzo quirked an eyebrow.

"Is that right?" Hiding a smirk at Greg's hurt expression, he flicked his gaze back down to his notes. "I hear that you have a bit of a soft spot for Miss Sidle too, Mr Stokes?"

"_Stokes and Sidle are constantly flirting with each other." Ecklie rolled his eyes. "If I didn't know better I'd say that they have a thing going." _

"_Are you sure they don't?" Gonzo asked, choosing to ignore Grissom's scoff. Ecklie sent a not-so-subtle glance in Gil's direction. _

"_I think Sidle's affections lie elsewhere." He smirked. _

"_And what about Stokes?" _

Nick laughed nervously. "Hey now, Sara and I are friends." He insisted, trying to avoid Greg's gaze.

"Just friends?" The doctor pressed with a curious look. Nick's cheeks turned pink.

"Look, there's nothing going on between us. We're just friends." He repeated, a little too forcefully.

"_Well," Ecklie said slowly, musing over the question with a sly smile. "I might know something about that..."_

Gonzo flicked his eyes between the two CSIs. Judging by the pissed off look on Greg's face he was already aware of, or at least suspected, Nick's little admission.

"It was one night, it meant nothing." He insisted, studiously avoiding Greg's cold stare boring into his head.

"_I guess Sidle thought she'd work her way up to the boss." Ecklie chuckled animatedly. _

_Grissom, however, was not amused. _

X x x

"Hey Sar," Cath said, keeping her eyes averted as she got dressed. "You're doing okay, right?"

"What do you mean?" Sara asked, putting her hairbrush down and turning to the blonde.

"I mean, there's nothing bothering you. Nothing that you want to talk about?" Sara shrugged, still not really following. Cath sighed and sat down on the bed, still half-dressed. "Honey, you admitted yourself that you don't deal with things well. And I know that you have a lot to deal with." She tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear nervously. "I just don't want to lose you because you were too scared to talk to someone. I know that what we're doing...it's a temporary solution, but if you need to talk..."

Sara looked down, fidgeting with her hairbrush in her shaky hands.

"I'm okay." She said at last. "I appreciate the fact that you're worried, but I can manage." She even attempted a small smile to prove her point. Cath reached out and gripped her hand.

"I'm glad to hear it. Just remember that if you need anything at all, I'm here." She promised. Sara raised an eyebrow.

"Anything?" She said with a cheeky smile, earning her a light smack on the arm.

X x x

"I just got a message from Dr Gonzo."Ecklie declared as he flounced into the room. "The whole team has to meet outside for another group task tomorrow morning. And we're to stay away from heights or walls or anything Little Miss Clumsy can fall down." He chuckled at his own joke. Grissom uttered a grunt of understanding but never tore his eyes from the book in his hands. Ecklie sighed, dropping into the double bed with a dramatic flump. "Okay, how long is this going to last?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Until you tell me how you found out about Nick and Sara."

X x x

"I'm not going to have to prise you off some stranger again am I?" Catherine asked semi-seriously as they made their way into the bar.

"That depends. What did you have planned for tonight?" Sara smirked. Cath swatted her lightly on the arm. Truth be told she was glad Sara had suggested this: she needed a drink after the week they'd had so far. She was half way to the bar, her order already on the tip of her tongue, when she noticed that Sara was no longer by her side. Turning around, she spotted the brunette frozen in place, her gaze fixed on someone across the room.

"Sara?" Cath asked, walking back over to her. "Hon, you okay?" she placed a hand on Sara's arm, attempting to snap her out of her daze. Slowly shaking her head, Sara uttered only one word, never tearing her eyes away from the tall blonde leaning casually against the bar.

"Sam."

Apparently, Catherine's need for apple martinis was going to have to wait.


	10. The Ex

**The Ex**

"Are you sure?"

"No." Sara said, her voice developing a slight tremble. "But I need to know why she's here."

"Do you want me to stay?" Catherine asked, already knowing the answer. Sara shook her head, her gaze fixed on the leggy blonde lingering by the bar.

"No, I ... uh, I don't want an audience for this." She said softly. Cath nodded understandingly, placing a hand on her arm for just a second.

"Okay, I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Sara watched her walk away before resignedly dragging herself to the bar and sliding onto a stool. For a moment neither woman looked at each other even though they both knew the other was there. Finally, Sara spoke.

"What are you doing here?" She kept her gaze averted, choosing instead to stare at the untidy mountain someone had made out of battered beer mats. She picked up the top one and started strategically shredding it between her hands.

"Nice to see you too, babe." Sam said with an amused smirk. Sara glared up at her from beneath her lashes.

"Samantha." She chastised coolly, making it clear that she was not in the mood for jokes. Not that it perturbed the blonde.

"Ooh, full name. I am in trouble." She mocked cheekily. Sara sighed, tossing the torn beer mat aside.

"So, what? I stop answering my phone so you stalk my whole team to Utah?" She snapped sarcastically. Sam released a slow breath and reached out a hand to her, frowning sadly when Sara moved her's away.

"Look, it wasn't like that." The blonde tried to explain. "I called the lab to talk to you; you weren't answering, I was worried." She chose to ignore the brunette's disregarding scoff. "They told me that you were here."

"They wouldn't tell you that." Sara narrowed her eyes suspiciously. A smirk spread across Sam's face.

"Alright, there may have been a bit of persuasion involved." She added with a tad too much pride. Sara quirked an eyebrow.

"Who answered the phone?" she asked. Sam frowned thoughtfully.

"Some guy called ... David? I think." Sara rolled her eyes.

"Hodges." She muttered. Sam inched closer on her bar stool, letting her hand brush against Sara's despite the brunette's attempt to slide away.

"Sar, I just want to talk." She lowered her voice, lacing it with faux sadness.

"Yeah well, I don't." Sara retorted, pushing herself away from the bar.

"Sara." Sam huffed, standing up as well. "Why can't we at least try to be friends? I know that you don't want..."

"No, Sam, you don't know." Sara interrupted. "You have no idea what I want, because if you did then you wouldn't be here." She was aware of other people in the bar staring at them and was suddenly glad that she had sent Catherine away. She could handle strangers seeing this, but not her.

"Sara, please." Sam whined pitifully, making a grab for her arm.

"No." The young CSI insisted, pulling away with so much force she nearly stumbled into a table. "All you want is sympathy. You can't guilt me into feeling sorry for breaking up with you." Sam's face contorted into an all-too familiar pout which Sara took as her cue to leave. "You need to leave me alone." She said, turning and stalking out of the bar through the sea of curious onlookers.

'Just keep walking', she told herself, 'don't look back'. And that she did, even when she heard Sam's callous voice just a few feet behind her;

"You should write songs. You always had a way with words, Sidle."

"I'll keep it in mind." She muttered, continuing towards the stairs.

"Sara," Sam called out. Against her will, Sara turned. The blonde was barely two feet away from her. "You might be ready to give up, but I'm not. And I'm not going anywhere."

X x x

Catherine was seriously considering ordering a bottle of wine on room service to keep her company while she paced.

A part of her wished that she had stayed, but she knew why Sara had asked her not to. She wouldn't want to be observed arguing with her ex either.

She told herself that her nerves were due to the fact that she was worried about Sara; about her state of mind. But in all honesty, a part of her had wanted to stay to make sure Sam didn't get her claws back into Sara and ruin the good thing they had going.

True, they weren't dating and at the end of the week they might decide to pretend it had never happened, but something in the back of her mind couldn't help wondering what would happen if they carried on...

X x x

Sara took deep breaths as she stalked down the hall, but it still wasn't helping.

How dare she? How dare she just gatecrash their conference like this?

She stopped abruptly outside one door. She could vaguely hear Nick's voice from inside. She had to admit, a part of her was tempted. After all, it had worked last time.

She lifted her hand to knock, but let it fall back to her side. Stupid idea. She had lived to regret it last time.

And besides, Greg was in there too.

With a deep breath, she carried on down the hall.

X x x

Cath jumped when the door opened, springing instantly to her feet.

"Hey." She greeted softly when she saw Sara's pained expression. She had been planning what she was going to say, but suddenly it all seemed obsolete. Wordlessly, she walked over and wrapped Sara in a hug, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

"Relationships suck." She heard Sara mumble against her neck. She laughed softly, pressing the brunette closer.

"Tell me about it." She agreed. Slowly they pulled back. Cath reached out to tenderly brush Sara's hair aside, but the brunette's fiery gaze stopped her motions. Suddenly, without warning, Sara launched herself at Catherine. Taken off guard by the fierce kiss, the older woman grabbed the bathroom doorframe to steady herself and ultimately ended up pinned against the wall. "Is this your solution?" she asked breathlessly when they came apart for air. Sara's hot, dark eyes bore deep into her own and she uttered only one word; quiet and weak.

"Please."

X x x

She felt Sara sigh. She looked up from doodling mindless patterns on the brunette's shoulder.

"You okay?" she asked, her voice husky. Sara shrugged. Cath propped herself up on her elbow, stroking Sara's cheek lightly with the back of her hand. "You know, it's okay to talk sometimes." It was a joke, but Sara got the message and offered a small smile in return.

"Sorry, just thinking." She mumbled.

"Care to share?"

Sara sighed again, fidgeting with the covers. "I don't know what to do." Cath pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"Sara," she started softly. "You know, this – between us, it's not definite." Sara turned her head to send her a curious look. "Whatever _this_ is, you can still change your mind, if you want to. Just remember why you broke up with Sam in the first place." Sara was silent for what felt to Catherine like an age. Finally she met Cath's gaze again.

"And if I don't want to change my mind?" She asked softly. A smile crept onto Cath's lips. She leant down to kiss her, letting her strawberry-blonde tresses fall around them.

"Then we have to start playing by the rules." She murmured. Sara smiled, pecking her lips lightly.

"Your rules or mine?"


	11. The Walk

**Sorry for the wait; extra long chapter to make up for it. And I didn't even leave you on a cliffhanger (which was so tempting with this one :P)  
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**x x x x  
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**The Walk  
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"So, these rules." Sara said while they waited for the boys to come down to breakfast. "Explain them to me." Cath put down her mug of coffee, mulling over the question in her mind.

"Well, if we decide to carry on then we need to do it properly." Sara raised an eyebrow, hinting for elaboration. "Dating, as opposed to..."

"To..." Sara pressed with a smirk.

"Friends with benefits." Cath settled on after a moment's thought. "Excellent benefits." She added with a sly smile. Sara pursed her lips, intent on extending that thought, when Nick landed ungracefully in the chair beside her.

"Hey, pass me the sugar please." He requested, already pouring himself a cup of coffee. Sara passed him the sugar pot, sharing a secret smile with the blonde as the rest of the gang appeared; shuffling into the room in various stages of dress and alertness.

"I'm hungry. Where's the bacon." Brass declared, dropping into a seat beside Catherine.

X x x

"Well, how's my favourite dysfunctional team today?" Dr Gonzo greeted them cheerfully.

"We're functioning fine thank you. What are we doing here?" Catherine responded sarcastically. They all scanned their surroundings suspiciously.

For a reason currently unknown to the CSIs, Dr Gonzo had summoned them to the Rockies.

He strode up and down in front of them, placing his hands on his hips.

"You, my friends, are here to learn how to look out for each other again."

"In the mountains?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, couldn't you have picked somewhere a bit ... warmer?" Warrick queried, pulling his jacket tighter around himself.

"No, had to be here." Gonzo said, disregarding the comment. "Now, it's quite simple really; you're going to be split into teams and you're going to go for a walk."

"A walk?" Catherine repeated.

"Yes, Miss Willows. A walk." He nodded patronisingly, earning him a glare in return. "One person in each team will have a walkie-talkie and we shall communicate through these if anyone gets lost. Otherwise, you follow the clues on the path. If everyone follows the signs properly, then we should all find our way to the cabin by nightfall."

"The cabin?" Sara asked curiously, scowling when he ignored her.

"Okay, Dr Grissom, Miss Sidle and ... Greg. You guys are one team." He passed a walkie-talkie to Grissom and they all sidled over to one side.

"How come I don't get 'Mr Sanders'?" Greg whispered to Sara sullenly, eliciting a smile from the brunette.

"Mr Brass, Mr Stokes and Mr Brown." He gestured for them to move aside too, handing their device to Jim. "And Miss Willows, Mr Ecklie: you two will be with me." Catherine sent Sara a look of distinct displeasure at this news. "Alright gang. Start walking."

As the teams drifted off in separate directions, as instructed by the doctor, Greg turned to Sara once again.

"Everyone else got surnamed, why did I just get 'Greg'?" He frowned. Sara laughed, slinging an arm around his shoulder.

"Because you have such a cute name."

X x x

Catherine stuffed her phone back in her pocket morosely.

"There's no signal out here." She grumbled.

"Don't need it." Gonzo chirped, hiking ahead gleefully. Ecklie hung back, matching strides with Catherine.

"Trying to call Lindsey?" He asked, burying his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah. She was still in bed when I phoned earlier." She sulked, kicking at the snow with her boot-clad feet.

"I'm sure she misses you too." Conrad offered quietly. Cath looked up at him, surprised by his sudden show of humanity.

"Have you spoken to Morgan recently?" She asked, broaching the subject carefully. Ecklie released a slow breath, watching it cloud in the cold air.

"No."

X x x

"It's too cold!" Greg whined, trudging behind Sara.

"You know, when I was in college I spent a lot of time in the mountains." Sara said, hunching her shoulders against the wind.

"Thought you'd be far too busy studying." Greg quipped, blowing into his cupped hands in a feeble attempt to warm them up.

"I managed to fit in other activities too." She said with a smile. Greg chuckled.

"Like what?" He asked with a playful grin.

"Guys, keep up!" Grissom hollered, effectively cutting them off before Sara could answer. He wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about but he'd heard enough to know that he didn't want to hear the answer. The younger CSIs exchanged an amused look and jogged to catch him up.

"Hey, what sort of clues do you think we're looking for?" Greg asked.

"I don't know." Grissom scowled, looking around him. His trained eyes caught a movement on a nearby tree and he scuttled over towards it. Sara and Greg exchanged a look and followed after him.

"You found something?" Sara asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"A grasshopper." He said, pointing at the obscenely large creature on the branch.

"Huh." Sara hummed in approval, reaching past him to pull a laminated piece of cardboard from between the branches.

"Well done Grissom, you found it." Greg smiled.

"Technically the grasshopper found it." Sara smirked. Gil bristled and straightened up.

"What does it say?" He asked, leaning over her to read.

"'Follow the moose'." Sara frowned. "The moose?"

"The moose!" Greg pointed to a yellow sign up ahead.

"Oh, 'follow the signs'." Sara grinned, spotting another sign further away.

X x x

"Follow the moose?" Nick repeated, a scowl etched into his face.

"The moose." Brass said knowingly, starting to walk. Nick and Warrick exchanged a baffled look, blindly following the detective.

"What does he know that we don't?" Warrick asked suspiciously.

X x x

After a long few minutes of silence, Catherine spoke up again.

"So, how do you plan on us all getting there?"

"There are three routes to this cabin: we're on the central path. The boys are taking the east and Grissom's team are taking the west. The paths have been lined with clues and hints to guide the way."

"Beware of the moose signs?" Ecklie muttered under his breath.

"The paths will all converge at one point, about twenty minutes away from the cabin." He continued, ignoring the bald man. "From there we'll all walk together."

"Okay." Cath nodded, understanding. "And what happens if someone gets lost?" Gonzo grinned.

"That's what the walkie-talkies are for."

X x x

"Man, we've been walking for hours." Greg whinged, shuffling his feet through the snow sullenly.

"Stop whining Greg." Grissom huffed, shoving the latest laminated clue into his pocket with the rest.

"Uh, guys." Sara called, "Problem." They turned around, following her line of sight. Grissom's jaw dropped.

"Oh."

X x x

Catherine and Ecklie jumped when the walkie-talkie crackled into life. Gonzo, however, merely answered with a calm "hello?" Someone said something on the other end that Cath and Ecklie missed but that made Gonzo's face fall. He stepped out of ear-shot while he continued the conversation for a minute.

Finally, he walked back to the other two.

"That was someone at the hotel. We, uh, may have a problem." He said nervously. Cath raised an eyebrow.

"Oh no. What kind of problem?" Ecklie asked, exasperated. Gonzo pursed his lips.

"The blizzard-kind of problem." He answered sheepishly. Cath's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Where?" Ecklie demanded.

"Coming in from the west."

"The west." Ecklie repeated. "Where Grissom is."

"And Sara and Greg." Cath added. Gonzo held up their hands.

"I'm sure they're fine. There's plenty of time to get to the cabin before the blizzard reaches us."

How do you know that?" The blonde challenged warily.

"Didn't you check the weather before we set off?" Ecklie asked, incensed. Gonzo blushed.

"Of course I did. The weatherman report never said anything about there being a storm." He took a deep, calming breath while he organised his thoughts. "Let's just keep walking and we'll get in touch to warn them." He promised. Reluctantly, the other two followed.

X x x

"What do we do?" Greg asked, eyeing the snowstorm brewing in the distance. Suddenly, the walkie-talkie hissed into life. Grissom jumped, startled by the noise, and subsequently dropped the device into the snow.

They all stared at it for a moment as it crackled some more then fell silent. Finally, Sara turned to the dismayed man by her side.

"Does that answer your question, Greg?"

X x x

"I'm sure they're fine." He repeated when he saw Catherine and Ecklie watching him warily.

"You'd better hope so." Ecklie muttered.

"I have extensive knowledge of these paths and of how long it takes to walk them. And I have ensured that there are sufficient markers along the way to guide the teams. I'm sure they'll make it to the cabin just fine." Catherine turned to him, a dark storm cloud brewing behind her blue eyes.

"And if you're wrong?"

X x x

"Hey, I see them!" Warrick called, pointing to a few shapes moving in the distance. Nick and Brass squinted in the direction he was pointing.

"Oh yeah." Nick said, waving his arms wildly in the air. He saw someone else doing the same and grinned. "They've seen us."

X x x

"Looks like the guys." Catherine commented when they saw someone waving madly at them across the distance. Gonzo frowned at his walkie-talkie.

"No sign of the others, I take it?" Ecklie asked when he noticed the doctor's expression. Gonzo sent him a timid glance before striding ahead and hollering out to the boys.

"Whew, we made it." Nick whistled when they all finally met in the middle. Brass was the first to notice that something was amiss.

"Where are the others?" He asked, scanning the faces of the other team. Cath quirked an eyebrow in Gonzo's direction.

"We're trying to locate them." The doctor answered enigmatically. Nick and Warrick exchanged a startled look.

"What do you mean? Where are they?" Warrick asked, panic lacing his smooth voice.

"Well, there was a slight ... unexpected problem."

"There's a blizzard moving in." Catherine cut off his dawdling answers.

"What?" The three of them asked at once.

"Have we had _any_ contact with them?" Brass asked.

"Uh, not as such." Gonzo admitted. He held up his hands before anyone could interrupt. "We're not far from the cabin. Let's head there and I'm sure we can reach someone from there." Nick pointed a warning finger at him.

"You'd better be right about that."

X x x

"For future reference, I want to be in charge of the walkie-talkie in the next task." Greg mumbled.

"We're not lost." Gil insisted, holding his arm up to protect his eyes from the snow that was starting to swirl around them. "I'm telling you we're going the right way."

"Grissom." Sara called.

"Sara, keep up." He shouted, barely able to make out the brunette's figure in the hazy white tempest.

"Grissom!" She called again, not moving. With a sigh he turned and ran back to where she had stopped. "Look." She held up a small slightly frozen object.

"A penknife?" Greg asked breathlessly after jogging to catch them up.

"It's Nick's." Sara smiled.

X x x

"Any luck?" Ecklie asked while Gonzo continued to tinker with the controls on the telegraph machine as he attempted to wire a message back to the hotel.

"Maybe?" He shrugged helplessly. Both men looked up as Warrick sailed past them, zipping his jacket up as he went. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to look for them." The dark-skinned man answered, already putting his shoes back on.

"I'll come with you." Nick, who had been staring morosely at the wisps of snow blowing past the window, jumped to his feet.

"No!" Gonzo sprung towards them. "We wait here."

"He's right." Ecklie backed him up. "We don't want anyone else getting lost out there."

Catherine snapped her phone shut after another failed attempt to call one of the missing team and the hotel. "I'm still not getting anywhere." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Maybe we could let off a flare?"

"You can try..." Gonzo agreed. "If you can find any."

X x x

"Look!" Greg yelled excitedly, pointing at the ground." Shoeprints."

"They definitely came through here." Sara agreed, turning her back against the wind. They could feel the snowstorm moving closer and though none voiced it, they all knew that if they didn't make it to the cabin soon then they would be trapped in the centre of it.

"So, how did you know its Nick's knife?" Greg asked, leaning close to her ear so she could hear him over the wind.

"He showed me it once. His dad gave it to him; it's got his initials engraved on it."

"Huh." Greg nodded. In any other situation Sara might have noticed the hint of jealousy in his voice but under the circumstances she was too preoccupied with watching where her feet went.

"Guys!" Grissom bellowed over the storm. "I see something!"

X x x

"Maybe someone should go out there." Catherine suggested.

"No." Ecklie insisted firmly. "No one leaves this building until the storm has passed."

"Well we have to do something; we can't just leave them out there all night." The blonde snapped, her voice rising frenetically.

"I know, but what do you want me to do?" Ecklie hissed back.

"Guys, this isn't helping." Dr Gonzo said, holding up his hands. However, he began to wish he'd stayed out of it when Catherine turned on him.

"This is your fault. If you hadn't made us all split up then they wouldn't be lost out there."

"I promise, I'm doing everything I can to try and contact someone." He assured her. Cath took a deep breath, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"If anything happens to them..." thankfully she never got to finish the sentence as the door swung open and Grissom clattered in, blinking against the sudden change in light.

"Everyone accounted for?" He asked, shaking himself off. Sara and Greg appeared behind him, huddled together in an attempt to keep warm. Gonzo chuckled, relief flooding his features.

"We are now." He grinned.

At the sight of the brunette Catherine rushed to the door and wrapped Sara in a hug, much to the surprise of the rest of the team.

"My god, you're freezing." She commented, rubbing her hands up Sara's arms. The younger woman didn't answer, too cold to form sentences.

"Nick, make them a hot drink." Gonzo instructed. "Come on, we'll get you guys warmed up in no time."

Grissom stripped his jacket off and gratefully accepted a blanket, curling himself into the corner of the couch with it. Sara and Greg, on the other hand, planted themselves directly in front of the roaring fire. Catherine draped a blanket over them both, before settling herself in a chair beside them and running a hand through Sara's damp hair.

Nick and Warrick emerged from the kitchen with three steaming mugs. Warrick gave one to Grissom, who blew on it before taking a tentative sip. Nick handed one each to Greg and Sara.

"There you go, sweetie." He muttered, placing a hand on Sara's shoulder as he placed the mug carefully in her trembling hands.

"Thank you." She whispered. "Hey, I've got something of yours." She pulled something from her pocket, offering it to up him in her numb hands. He smiled, accepting the glinting object from her. "Thanks for the help."

"Anytime sunshine." He winked at her, slipping it into his pocket protectively.

Despite the cold, Grissom and Greg exchanged a discontented look at the Texan's affectionate behaviour around their colleague. Catherine, on the other hand, remained oblivious as she continued to absently run her fingers through Sara's curls, staring into space.

"Alright gang." Gonzo clapped his hands together gleefully. "Now that we're all here, how about we have a debrief session for this little exercise?" At the eight pissed off faces glaring at him he sank shamefacedly into a chair. "Maybe later."


	12. The Fire

**The Fire**

Nick and Greg tore their eyes away from the flickering fire when Warrick chuckled softly.

"Check out our sleeping beauties over there." He pointed at the couch. A smile spread across their faces.

Sara and Catherine were curled up on the couch together, sound asleep. The older CSI was coiled around Sara and had the brunette wrapped tightly in her arms; their legs intertwined and their heads resting together. Sara was clutching Catherine's top, the material firmly wrapped in her hand, like she never intended on letting go.

"Don't you just wish you had a camera?" Greg asked with amusement. A thought struck Nick, who smiled devilishly as he pulled out his cell phone.

"Who says we don't?" He crept closer, trying not to wake them and snapped a quick photo, saving it to his phone for later use.

"They'll kill you for that." Greg commented, leaning over his shoulder to see the picture. "Will you send me it?" He added as an afterthought. Nick laughed.

"Sorry dude, this is my leverage."

Greg sighed, a dopy smile gracing his face. "They're so cute together."

"Don't let them hear you say that." Nick warned playfully.

"They're a damn sight cuter then those two." Warrick jerked a thumb at Grissom and Ecklie, both vying for more blanket at they dozed uncomfortably together on either side of the other couch.

"Man, I'm cuter than them." Nick joked.

"I wonder what they'll do when they wake up like that." Warrick pondered. Nick sent him an odd look, still looking at their supervisors, until the dark-skinned man pointed to the girls.

"Oh, right." He said, turning his attention back to them.

"Maybe they meant to fall asleep like that." Greg suggested, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. Warrick scoffed.

"Hey man, I don't know. I mean, they have been sharing a bed together at the hotel." Nick pointed out. "Who knows what's been going on behind the scenes."

"You mean like you and Sara?" The words slipped out before Greg could stop them and he immediately bit his tongue. Nick's dark eyes flew to his, shocked at the younger man's dig. Warrick looked between the two of them.

"What?" He asked, his eyes darting to Nick's guilty expression. "You and Sara?" Nick laughed nervously.

"It's not what you think." He promised. "It was a long time ago." Rick narrowed his eyes, searching his memory for anything he might have missed. After a moment realisation crossed his features.

"Oh my God; the B&E rape case, with the mummy in the closet?" He realised with glee. Nick held up his hands in an attempt to make him keep his voice down. "I knew something happened between you two!" He continued, pointing an accusatory finger at Nick.

"It had been a long shift, she needed someone to talk to; it just kinda happened." He tried to explain. "Seriously, it was a one-time thing. It meant nothing."

"You swore to me that nothing happened that night." Warrick huffed.

"Nothing did happen, alright." Nick said forcefully. "It meant nothing."

"Maybe that's the problem." Greg muttered under his breath. Nick turned to him with a sigh.

"Look Greg, I know you're pissed at me but Sara and I talked about it. She's fine with it."

"That's not the point Nick." Greg hissed. "She was really upset, you should have helped her, not..."

"I was helping." Nick defended.

"You took advantage of her!" Greg retorted in a low voice. Nick inhaled sharply, taken aback by the accusation. He took a moment to compose himself.

"You weren't there that night Greg. You don't know what happened."

"I know you got her drunk."

"Hey, come on Greg." Warrick stepped in, placing a firm hand on the young CSI's shoulder.

"No, Warrick." Greg shook him off. "He does this all the time; just one woman after another. One night and then bye bye." He scowled. "Sara's worth more than that."

"Hey, you don't think I know that?" Nick said, placing a hand over his heart in a wounded gesture. "Dude, I love Sara as much as you do. I would never hurt her."

At the mention of her own name, Sara stirred in her sleep. The boys' necks whipped round in tandem.

Catherine tightened her grip on the shuffling brunette and buried her face against Sara's neck, uttering a disgruntled grumble at the disturbance. The boys went very still for a moment, waiting for them to settle back down. Sara curled back up and Cath nuzzled against her, releasing a contented sigh as they both settled back into each other's arms. The guys unanimously released the breath they had been holding.

"Can we just drop it, please?" Nick said, softer this time. Greg shrugged, toying with the edge of the blanket.

"Yeah, I think we should follow their lead and get some shut-eye." Warrick agreed, casting a final glance over the snoozing girls.

X x x

Catherine shivered, tugging the blanket tighter around herself. She blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. She was alone. At least that explained why she was so cold.

Shuffling further upright, she stretched awkwardly, trying to wake up her muscles.

The light from the fire caught on her watch, reflecting a beam of light across the ceiling. Cath rubbed her eyes, making sure they weren't deceiving her. They weren't.

Sara was sat cross-legged on the floor, watching the flames flicker hypnotically.

Pulling the blanket with her, Cath clambered off the couch and crawled to the space next to her.

"What are you doing up?" she asked softly.

"Couldn't sleep." Sara's gaze never faltered from staring at the fire.

"Hmm. Apparently neither can I." Cath said, throwing a sideways glance at her young colleague. Sara didn't respond, although the smile that twitched at her lips implied she got the message.

They remained in silence for a while, just watching the fire slowly burn itself out. After a while Cath noticed Sara shivering and inched closer, throwing the blanket around the both. Sara smiled gratefully, allowing Catherine to curl into her side like a cat and rest her head on her shoulder.

Sara was the first one to speak.

"Sam called me again this morning." Cath looked up at her, her blue eyes trying to seek out Sara's gaze.

"Okay." She whispered, waiting for Sara to continue.

"She wants me to give her another chance."

"Oh." Cath nodded slowly, not sure what else to say. "And, um, did you say yes?" Sara turned, finally meeting her gaze.

"I didn't say anything yet." Catherine sat upright, turning to face Sara properly. Tentatively, she reached out to join their hands together.

"You know, there's nothing ... real ... between us; if you want to we can stop this now." She offered, attempting to block out the little voice in her head telling her to shut up.

"I'm not going back." Sara frowned, letting her gaze drift back to the fire. "I don't want to go back."

"Okay." Cath smiled. "So, what do you want?" The young woman took a deep, thoughtful breath.

"I'm not sure yet." Cath gripped her hand tighter, running her thumb over the back lightly.

"There's still time." She whispered. At the brunette's brief nod she thought Sara was going to drop the subject there but to her surprise she leant over and pressed her lips gently to Catherine's. Cath smiled into the kiss. "What was that for?" she asked softly when they broke apart. Sara shrugged, resuming her previous position of staring.

"Felt like it."

X x x

"Alright, I've got a good one." She grinned.

After a period of silence they had switched to safer subjects and resultantly sprawled on their stomachs in front of the now dead fire. And naturally, with the lack of warmth and all, they were laid as close together as possible without being on top of each other. For body heat, of course.

"If you could sleep with any of the guys from the lab, which would it be?" Catherine asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Sara's expression changed to one which the blonde would recognise anywhere. Guilt. "Oh my God." She mumbled, her eyes widening.

"Pass." Sara said, biting back a smirk.

"Who?" Cath demanded, shuffling into a seated position. Sara pursed her lips.

"Not telling. Secret." She said, trying not to laugh at Catherine's childishly curious expression. The blonde scowled, poking Sara roughly in the arm.

"That's not fair. Who?"

"Nope." Sara insisted.

"Sara!" Cath whined. "Fine, you know what; you don't have to tell me. I can guess." She lay back down, drumming her fingers on the wooden floor thoughtfully. "Grissom." That was the obvious choice. Sara just sat motionless with a content little smile. "Greg?"

"Uh huh." Sara shook her head. Cath scanned the room, searching the faces of the sleeping men. Her gaze faltered on one. With a coy little grin she flicked her eyes back to Sara.

"Nick."

Sara started laughing, shrugging helplessly.

"You got me."

"Oh. My. God. When…how, where…when?" She bombarded the young brunette with questions, shuffling in until she could not get any closer without sitting on her. Sara chuckled, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"It was a couple of years ago. How: not going there. And where...at his apartment." She answered, smiling at Catherine's adorably baffled expression.

"Why did I not know about this?" The older woman demanded with a raised eyebrow. Sara shrugged, offering a sweet smile.

"I'm good at keeping secrets."

"Yeah _you_ are. Cowboy isn't." She said, indicating the sleeping Texan behind them. Sara laughed.

"Yeah, I'm surprised he's kept it this quiet actually. But I'd know if he'd told Warrick."

"Even Ecklie would know if he'd told Warrick." Cath quipped. Apparently recognising his own name, Ecklie rolled over and released a loud snore. The girls jumped, swallowing back a giggle as their boss grunted and readjusted himself until he was comfy again. As he settled back down they turned back to the non-existent fire. "Any more secrets, Miss Dark Horse?" Cath asked at last. Sara pretended to think about this for a moment.

"I guess you're just going to have to stick around to find out." She answered at last. Cath nudged her playfully under the blanket, leaning her head against Sara's shoulder and releasing a long sigh.

"If it weren't for the boys and the snoring bear over there, this would be quite romantic." She commented. Sara was quiet for a moment and Cath began to worry that she had made her uncomfortable. She opened her mouth to apologise but Sara beat her to it.

"Tell you what; if we ever get out of here we'll book a cabin somewhere. Just you and me." Sara offered softly. Cath smiled, slyly interlocking their hands together.

"It's a date."


	13. The Morning

**The Morning**

"Ow!" Grissom jolted awake, scanning the dim room. Eventually his gaze settled on Ecklie, who was sprawled inelegantly across the couch from him. He frowned and kicked Ecklie back, startling his boss awake.

"What was that for?" Ecklie snapped, sitting up stiffly.

"What was what for?" Warrick asked sleepily from where he was stretched across the floor on a blanket.

"Gil just kicked me."

"You kicked me first." Grissom retorted.

"I did not!" Ecklie insisted insolently.

"Yes you did! I've got a bruise." Conrad scoffed.

"Bruises my ..."

"What's with all the noise?" Nick whined, rolling onto his stomach and covering his head.

"Someone's cranky." Warrick mumbled, stretching his tired muscles.

"I'm not cranky." Nick sulked, covering a yawn. He punched Greg on the arm, who responded simply by grumbling and curling up in a ball.

"Hey, stop kicking me!" Grissom huffed again.

"I didn't kick you!" Ecklie grunted, trying to disentangle himself from the blanket.

"Hey, hey! What's all the squabbling about?" Dr Gonzo asked, sailing into the room with a freshly made cup of coffee.

"Hey, can I get one of them?" Nick asked, following the scent eagerly as he struggled to sit up.

"You'll be lucky." Brass commented, emerging from the kitchen himself with his own mug.

"No time." Gonzo shook his head, taking a long sip. "We have to get moving as soon a possible. Got to get a move on if we want to make the most of the calm after the storm." He scanned the room, taking in the sights of the CSIs. "Alright," he clapped. "Someone wake the two rug-rats on the floor and let's get shifting."

The guys all turned their attention to the floor, where Sara and Catherine had re-located themselves and were curled up beneath a blanket. Nick crouched down beside them, shaking his head with an amused chuckle. He lightly shook Sara's shoulder.

"Hey, wakey-wakey sunshine." He called softly. She snuggled further into Catherine, refusing to wake up. Catherine blinked her eyes open and frowned at the Texan smirking down at her."Hey Cath; you mind waking your sleeping partner?" He said sweetly. She glanced down to Sara, who had curled up into an impossibly tight ball against her stomach. She reached under the covers, a devilish smile creeping onto her lips. The boys couldn't see what she did but it made Sara squeak and jump alert, before scowling at the blonde.

"That was mean." She mumbled sullenly. Cath smiled sweetly, resisting the urge to kiss her in front of the boys.

"Alright-y, now that we're all up it's time to get a move on." Gonzo grinned, pulling his coat on.

"Uh, can we get ready first?" Catherine asked, pulling herself into a seated position despite Sara's protests. Gonzo checked his watch.

"You've got ten minutes. And that goes for everyone."

When everyone stared at him with blank looks he clapped his hands. "Come on guys, chop chop!"

X x x

"Stop it!" Nick said, covering his mouth. "You're making me yawn."

"I can't help it." Greg said, yawning again. "I might not be so tired if Ecklie hadn't been snoring all night."

"I do not snore!" The balding man interjected indignantly, whirling around at the mention of his own name.

"Are you kidding? You snore like a bear!" Warrick contradicted.

"I do not!" He huffed defensively.

"You so do!"

"Yeah, and that's saying a lot coming from Rick." Nick quipped, earning him a smack on the arm from the dark-skinned man.

"Yeah well at least I keep my hands to myself in my sleep." Warrick quipped, leaving the others to speculate what he meant by that.

X x x

"So, what was with the midnight bickering last night?" Brass asked casually as he ambled beside Warrick. The younger man turned to him with a puzzled frown. The detective chuckled at his expression. "I can be very quiet when I want to be."

"Ah, is that what makes you such a good detective?" Brass shrugged, waiting for his answer. "It was nothing; Greg and Nick are just butting heads."

"Over?" Brass pressed calmly.

"Sara." Warrick rolled his eyes, gesturing at the brunette who was ambling a few feet ahead of them. "She has no idea what she does to them." He laughed.

"No, no she doesn't." Jim agreed absently, watching the young woman carefully as she strolled beside Catherine, tilting her head up to the sun with a lazy smile on her face.

X x x

If they hadn't gotten caught in it, they never would have known that there had been a storm last night. Yet, despite the sun shining down on them from the cloudless sky, there was a cold breeze blowing across the mountains.

Out of the corner of her eyes Sara noticed Catherine shivering. Wordlessly, she slipped off her coat and draped it around the surprised blonde.

"What are you doing?" Cath asked, sending her an odd look.

"You're cold." Sara stated simply, stuffing her hands in her jeans pockets.

"You'll freeze." Cath pointed out. Sara shrugged, sending her a sideways smile.

"I'll be fine." She promised. Disbelieving, Cath tried to take the coat off but Sara stopped her, sliding her arms into it. "Keep it." She insisted, purposefully stepping away so Cat couldn't reach her. Catherine watched her for a moment before relenting and zipping the coat up. She could feel the residual heat from Sara's body seeping into her skin.

"Thank you." She said softly.

They walked in silence for a good while before Catherine finally got up the courage to broach a subject that had been puzzling her.

"So, what you said last night, about booking a cabin somewhere..." Cath asked cautiously. "Were you serious about that?" Sara shrugged, kicking at the wisps of snow around her feet.

"If that's what you want." She mumbled. Catherine frowned at her cryptic answer. Sara continued to avoid her gaze, something which Catherine wasn't sure whether to attribute to nervousness or nonchalance.

"Okay." She said quietly at last, deciding that now was not the time or place to press the issue.

X x x

"See, my little hikers, didn't I tell you we'd make it back?" Gonzo asked with a big smile as the hotel appeared in sight during the walk from the train station.

"Sure."

"Okay." The boys shrugged, dragging their feet tiredly. Catherine, however, had a slightly more enthusiastic reaction.

"Thank God!" She wailed, pulling her cell phone out and drifting off to the side to call Lindsey. Sara watched her walk away. When she finally tore her attention from the blonde she jumped as Brass had materialised by her side.

"God, don't do that." She said, regaining her sense of calm.

"Something I should know about?" The detective asked slyly, nodding towards the blonde CSI. Sara's eyes widened, flicking between the two of them.

"What?" She asked, startled. He smirked.

"Nothing, never mind." He shrugged, sending her a sideways glance. "Just thought I'd check. You know I like to be kept in the loop." He patted her on the arm and sauntered off, leaving her to stare after him in shock.

"Hey, I got hold of her. She didn't even miss me yesterday, quelle surprise." Catherine chattered, reappearing at Sara's side. She noticed the brunette's expression and stopped talking, throwing a glance between her and the departing Jim Brass. "What did I miss?"

X x x

"Alright-y." Gonzo clapped, placing his hands on his hips. The team were dotted around the hotel reception area, glaring at him in unison. "It's been a long team-building session so I think maybe we should call it a day. Get a decent night sleep and we'll continue tomorrow." They all turned to leave but he wasn't finished yet. "Mr Brown and Mr Brass."

"Detective Brass." Jim cut in bluntly.

"Um yes, Detective Brass," He corrected, thrown off by the comment. "I believe you two are my only remaining victims." He grinned at them. "I'll see you in my office, bright and early."

"Yay." Warrick muttered sarcastically.

"There'd better be coffee." Jim said with a raised eyebrow.

The team sloped off, drifting to their separate rooms. Just as Sara was about to enter her own room, Brass caught her eye and winked at her. She blushed and hurried into the room ahead of a very puzzled Catherine.

X x x

"Is there something going on?" Cath asked as Sara emerged from the bathroom after her shower.

"What do you mean?" Sara asked, attempting to wrench a comb through her hair.

"The looks you and Brass were giving each other. Something I should know?" She tried to sound blasé but her curiosity was blatantly obvious in her voice. Sara tossed the towel she had been using to dry her hair onto the bed and sat down. She took a deep, thoughtful breath.

"I think he knows something." She stated with a small frown. Cath chuckled.

"Really?" she asked, non-fazed by this. "Well, he is a detective."

"This doesn't bother you?" Sara asked. Cath sighed, gripping her hand.

"Sweetie; whatever Jim does or doesn't know, he wouldn't tell anyone else. I know him." She promised, correctly guessing what was bothering the young brunette. Sara was about to stand up again but Catherine tugged on her hand. "While I've got you, is there something bothering you?"

"No." Sara gave her an odd look. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing. I just thought you were being a bit quiet today." Sara offered a smile.

"I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind at the moment." She explained. Cath squeezed her hand.

"As long as you're sure."

"I am." This time Sara's smile reached her dark eyes. She faltered for a moment before leaning forward and pecking Catherine's lips. Awkwardly, she stood up and went back to drying her hair. Cath looked her up and down, a bright smile on her face.

"Good." She whispered beneath her breath.

X x x

"Hey man, are you going to sulk all night or what?" Warrick asked, nudging Nick. The Texan looked up from his drink miserably.

"What gives Greg the right to judge me? I didn't do anything wrong." He moped.

"Let it go man." Rick said, taking a long drink of his beer. Nick propped his head up, resting his elbow on the bar.

"He's looking at me like I'm some sort of monster."

"Come on, you know he's got a thing for her. He's probably just jealous."

"Hmm." Nick nodded glumly. "Sara and I didn't do anything wrong that night." He repeated.

"He's not blaming Sara." Warrick pointed out. When Nick didn't respond he sighed and turned to his mate. "Look, you're just gonna have to find a way to make it up to him. Because if Sara finds out you blabbed then you will be in trouble." He chuckled, signalling to the bartender for another drink. Nick looked at him thoughtfully, a small smile twitching at his lips.

X x x

Greg was busy attempting to tame his spiky damp hair when his phone beeped. He snatched it off the bedside table, opening the message. It was from Nick.

The young CSI smiled when he saw the picture of Catherine and Sara snuggled together on the couch, along with the message:

'_No hard feelings? '_


	14. The Last

**Hey all, thanks for still reading and reviewing Some of the **_**italics**_** in this chapter are continuing the theme of flashbacks to Grissom and Ecklie's session, but there is one section that is just a flashback. I'm sure you'll understand as you read. **

**Krazii13: Thanks for the review, glad you're enjoying it so far. And I promise, I am going to finish it. I always proof read my work but occasionally a couple of mistakes slip through the net. Apologies for any mistakes I miss. **

**x x x x**

**The Last**

"Good morning Mr Brass." Dr Gonzo chirped when the detective walked in. The therapist nudged a mug of freshly-brewed coffee in his direction with a cocky little smile. Jim quirked an eyebrow at it before snatching it off the table and sinking into a sofa, taking a long slurp. "Will Mr Brown be joining us anytime soon?" Gonzo asked, checking his watch. Just as Brass shrugged, the door swung open and the man himself sauntered in with his own polystyrene cup of coffee.

"Sorry I'm late," he held up his hands in apology. "Damn coffee machine was playing up." As the words left his mouth his gaze fell on the mug in Jim's hands and a frown played across his face.

Gonzo tapped his pen on his notepad impatiently, waiting for the dark-skinned man to make himself comfortable.

"Alright-y then. Let's start at the beginning shall we?" He began once the two men had settled themselves.

"The beginning?" Warrick asked, shuffling awkwardly on the leather couch. Gonzo's lips twitched slightly.

"Holly Gribbs."

X x x

Sara groaned, curling back up into a ball. From her spot submerged beneath the covers she heard an amused chuckle.

"Good morning sweetie." Catherine greeted cheerfully, sitting on the edge of the bed. Sara felt the covers being gently tugged away from her and suddenly there was a pair of bright blue eyes peeping at her over the duvet.

"What time is it?" She mumbled, shuffling back up the bed to rest her head on the pillows.

"Late." Cath smiled, handing her a glass of water. "You must have been tired." Sara smiled gratefully, accepting the drink. She noticed Catherine staring at her and raised an eyebrow over the top of the glass.

"What?" She asked suspiciously when the blonde continued to smile at her.

"Nothing." Cath shrugged, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "You just look cute when you're sleepy." Sara watched her stand up and walk away, a scowl etched onto her face.

"Cute?"

X x x

Warrick sighed, running a hand through his short, springy hair. "You've got to be kidding me."

"We're here to talk about issues of conflict amongst the team. And it is my understanding that Holly Gribbs' death resulted in you, Detective Brass, being demoted to Homicide Detective, and you Mr Brown, nearly losing your job." Both men exchanged uncomfortable looks and said nothing. "So, I repeat: let's talk about Holly Gribbs."

"Holly was ..." Warrick trailed off, taking a deep breath. "She was the biggest mistake I ever made." He admitted.

"Come on, do we have to do this?" Jim asked, sitting forward in his seat. The doctor turned his attention to the older man.

"I believe that you took quite a fall from grace after Holly's death." He probed. Brass laughed dryly.

"I screwed up." He shrugged. "Grissom is a better leader than I ever was."

"And you still believe that?" He pressed. "Even after Nick got kidnapped and Sara nearly got shot?" Brass' expression faltered.

"Hey, that wasn't Grissom's fault," Warrick jumped in defensively. "No one could know that was going to happen."

"You, Mr Brown, took Nick's incident to heart didn't you?"

"He's my best friend." Warrick seethed, struggling to restrain the anger flaring up inside him at the memory.

"You got married." Gonzo pointed out, indicating his wedding ring. Warrick rubbed the gold band absently, reigning his temper back in.

"Yeah. I uh, I guess my priorities changed."

"_Warrick's been different since Nick got found." Grissom mused. "The same thing happened when Holly died – he can get really protective of the team."_

"_Protective and angry." Ecklie scoffed. _

"Like what happened after Holly died." Gonzo said, getting them back on topic. Warrick released a slow breath.

"What happened with Holly made me pay more attention to who I was working with."

"Hmm." Gonzo nodded thoughtfully. "Would it be a fair assumption that this attentive side of you is particularly focused on Catherine and Sara?" Warrick frowned, offering a small shrug.

"I guess." He answered uncertainly. "I look out for all of my team. But yeah, I guess I keep a closer eye on the girls."

"Hmm. Well, you're doing a bang up job so far." The doctor added sarcastically. Before Warrick could lunge for him, Brass spoke up, sending a sideways warning glance to the man sat next to him.

"Hey, if I get murdered, I want these guys investigating it. That's all that needs to be said." He explained slowly, making his point clear. Dr Gonzo chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment.

"So, you have never had a problem with this team?"

"Never." Gonzo's trained ears picked up on the brief pause before his answer and he quirked a sceptical eyebrow.

"So then, you didn't blame Warrick Brown for Holly Gribbs' death?" Jim opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Beside him, Warrick dropped his head in shame. Dr Gonzo took the resounding silence as confirmation. "I believe Miss Sidle also took issue with you when she first arrived." The question was directed at Warrick but both men looked up.

"Sara and I ... we had our moments but we worked it out." He sat back, happy to have had a question he could answer with ease.

"Hmm." Gonzo nodded thoughtfully, turning his attention back to the detective. "Like Mr Brown here, you also seem to have a soft spot for the women of the team." Jim chuckled dryly, offering little more than a shrug as answer, but Gonzo wasn't finished yet. "I understand this causes a bit of strife between you and Grissom sometimes?"

"What?" Brass asked, puzzled. "I don't have a problem with Gil."

"Even after his mistake nearly got Sara killed?"

"That wasn't Gil's fault..."

"I'm not talking about the shooting."

"_What happened, Gil?" Jim insisted, stalking him down the shadowy hallway. _

"_She's fine. She's just a bit shaken up." Grissom explained over his shoulder, never stopping moving. Brass sped up his pace, finally catching up with the supervisor. _

"_I don't know what you know about her that I don't, but either way you've got to get her out of here."_

"_She wants to stay, Jim." _

"_I don't care. I want her out of here Gil, before another of these psychos gets their hands on her." The detective demanded. _

"_She can handle it. I'm keeping an eye on her."_

"_Like you were keeping an eye on her in that office?" Grissom inhaled sharply, taken aback. "Call Catherine, she can take her place." Brass continued. _

"_No." Grissom interjected hurriedly. "No." He repeated more gently. "Sara is fine. She can carry on." _

"_You'd better be right about that." Jim warned, waving a threatening hand in his face. _

Warrick sent Brass an intrigued look. He knew what had happened to Sara in the mental institution and knew that both Brass and Catherine had both bawled Grissom out for it. He did not, however, know the details until now.

"Look, Grissom is not always the most considerate person when it comes to the people around him, but he is a good supervisor and he cares about his team." Brass insisted, dodging the subject.

"I'm sure he does." Gonzo nodded. "But that doesn't answer my question: why did you get so angry?"

"I care about this team." He said through gritted teeth, starting to lose patience with the doctor.

"Like you care about Ellie?" There was a pause.

"Ellie gave up on me." Brass mumbled. "Sara's my second chance. I don't want to lose her too."

X x x

"How do you think the guys are doing?" Sara asked quietly, folding the last of her clothes up.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out soon enough." Cath answered quietly. She was sat on the edge of the bed, ignoring the mountain of packing to be done that was heaped beside her. While Sara had lived out of her suitcase for a week, Catherine had pretty much moved in.

"Cat?" Sara called, getting her attention. The blonde jumped out of her reverie, surprised to find the young woman stood in front of her with a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She nodded, suddenly springing to her feet and launching into her packing in a bid to look busy.

"Catherine." Sara called again, taking the spot Cath had just vacated on the bed. Cath sighed and dropped her clothes, looking away.

"I just ... I guess it's just hard to ... you know." Sara did know. Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around Catherine's waist, pulling the woman towards her. Cath smiled softly, running her hands through Sara's hair. She took a deep breath, revelling in the feel of having Sara pressed so close to her.

They remained like that for a long five minutes, just enjoying the peaceful silence. Finally, Cath pulled out of the embrace, running a hand through her hair and surreptitiously wiping her eyes. "Come on hon, let's get this over with."


	15. The Home

**The Home**

"Well, hasn't this been a fun week?" Dr Gonzo smirked with false enthusiasm. "I must say Mr Ecklie; I can see your point about this team being accident prone." He raised an eyebrow at Sara in particular, earning him a sullen scowl in return.

"I believe careless was the word I used." Ecklie muttered to himself.

"Yes well. Anyway," Gonzo continued, brushing off the comment. "You're all going home today, so we're going to use this morning as a chance to go over what we've learnt this week."

"Not to give them maps." Ecklie mocked under his breath.

"Hey!" Greg piped up defensively. "At least we didn't drop the map."

"Alright, we're not going to do this now." Gonzo jumped in, holding up his hands as if it would have some calming power. "Let's start with the girls shall we?" He turned to Sara and Catherine. "What have you two learnt from this experience about yourselves; or about the team in general?"

Sara and Catherine exchanged awkward looks. Eventually Cath cleared her throat, sitting up straight.

"Well, uh, I guess that it doesn't always hurt to admit how deeply someone's affected you." She said softly, keeping her gaze averted.

"Uh huh. Very good. And Sara, what have you learnt?" Unlike Catherine, Sara didn't pause before answering.

"Everything I need to know." A look of confusion passed between the group at her cryptic answer, all except for one person.

"Okay." Gonzo nodded, moving swiftly on. "Boys, who wants to start?"

"Well," Greg mused thoughtfully, "I learnt Nick can't read maps." The offbeat comment earned him a smack from the Texan. When Gonzo raised an eyebrow at him pointedly, he sobered up. "Um, I learnt not to jump to conclusions."

"I got one." Nick jumped in, sitting up straight. "I learnt that I need to hold my temper." He said proudly, adding as an afterthought: "a bit."

"Yeah, rein it in tough guy." Warrick snickered. Gonzo sent him a disgruntled look.

"Well said boys. Warrick, what have you got to say?"

He sat up in his seat, clearing his throat. "Uh, I learnt ... I learnt how much these guys mean to me." Ordinarily a statement like that from their robust colleague might have resulted in some ribbing from the boys, but the sincerity of his voice resulted in a surprising moment of quiet reflection amongst the group.

It was Brass that finally broke the silence.

"I learnt that I don't like shrinks." He quipped bluntly, offering the doctor a broad smile. "No offence."

"I already knew that." Sara muttered beneath her breath. Catherine hid a smile, giving her a sly nudge.

"Well. Yes." Gonzo nodded with a frown, not sure what to do with that piece of information. "I guess that brings us to the leaders of the gang." He turned expectantly to the two men lurking in the corner.

"I learnt that I owe my guys a drink after this week." Grissom stated with a blasé flick of the wrist.

The whole room erupted in a burst of bright laughter. While the gang nodded and cheered in agreement, Ecklie rolled his eyes, muttering his own two cents in a lazy voice.

"Clearly this was a wasted trip." Dr Gonzo raised an eyebrow at him, casting a warm glance around the group.

"I'm not so sure about that Conrad."

X x x

"I'm almost going to miss you guys." Dr Gonzo mused sadly as he cast his gaze over the team, haphazardly scattered around the hotel lobby with their bags. "Almost."

"Wish we could say the same." Warrick quipped, to the amusement of the boys.

"Seriously Doc, thanks." Nick offered, holding out a hand to him. Gonzo's face lit up in a bright smile and he gripped Nick's hand firmly. He jumped to his feet, clapping his hands to get everybody's attention.

"Everybody, everybody gather round." He waited for everyone to settle down. "I have one final piece of advice for you all before you depart back to the city of the lights:" he cast an affectionate glance around the group. "You are a very strong team and you clearly all love each other very much. I think this week has been a chance for you to work out a few bugs, but most of all I think it's been a chance to spend some time together away from death. So, I guess all I can say is have fun together. And, most importantly: stay together."

The boys all shared a small smile and a subtle, silent nod.

Catherine and Sara's gazes met; a shared look passing between them. A look of understanding.

"Right, well, we'd better get a move on. Got a long journey, after all." Ecklie announced, breaking the moment. One by one the team started gathering up their bags while Grissom and Ecklie double checked that they had got everything they needed.

Gonzo leant against the front desk, observing the team for a final time. Nick was playfully tormenting Greg, laughing gleefully at the youngest team member's petulant pout. Warrick and Brass were stood off to the side, observing the pair together with great amusement. He saw the detective lean towards Warrick and say something that made the dark-skinned man erupt in laughter.

Contrary to the rest of the guys, Grissom and Ecklie were bickering over the best route home.

"Can't win 'em all." He muttered to himself, rolling his eyes at their lack of teamwork.

But it was the girls who really caught his attention. Sara was leaning against the desk not too far from the doctor's observation point. Cath was checking her suspiciously full suitcase had not burst open, something that looked like a serious hazard at the moment. She glanced up and sent Sara a bright smile.

"I think you might have to sacrifice the free soap." He heard Sara quip lightly.

"No, it's in and it's staying in." Cath insisted, placing her hands on her hips and staring at the case for a moment. "Besides, it's like a souvenir from our time here." She winked at Sara playfully. The brunette laughed, something which Gonzo realised he hadn't heard properly until now.

"Ah, so you don't always steal from hotels then?" She joked. Cath shushed her, ambling over to lean casually beside her.

"It's not stealing. If it's left in your hotel room its yours. It's just a rule." Sara raised a sceptical eyebrow at her.

"I obviously don't stay in hotels often enough."

"Well, I'm sure we can fix that, honey." Cath retorted with a decidedly seductive smirk. Gonzo's eyes widened and suddenly he was flashed back to his session with the ladies; their awkwardness. The little jumps every time their skin came into contact. He remembered Catherine's reaction when Sara fell down the ravine. The instinctive concern that he had chalked up to her maternal instincts.

A baffled chuckle bubbled out of him as he shook his head helplessly.

How had he missed that?

X x x

"Hey," Sara called softly after a long few minutes of driving in silence. "Thank you, for this week." She offered a shy smile. Cath chewed her lip, tentatively reaching out a hand to interlock their fingers together.

"You're welcome." She whispered. "Are you okay now, with Sam and everything?" Sara released a long breath.

"Yeah, I think I am." She nodded slowly. "I mean, I still need to do something about her; but I think you were right, I just needed to take my mind off everything for a while."

"Well, I'm glad I could help." Cath added with a playful smile. There was a beat of silence before the blonde sighed, absently doodling on the back of Sara's hand with her fingertips. "I'm actually kind of sad to be leaving." Sara sent her an odd look so she quickly explained. "Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to see Lindsey again. I just ... its over." She shrugged, helpless to explain what she meant.

"Not necessarily." Sara said softly, keeping her gaze fixed on their conjoined hands. She felt Catherine's gaze latch onto her, studying her intricately.

"Really?" she whispered, hope seeping into her voice. "Do you want to...?"

"Do you?" Sara asked, chancing a glimpse of her face. Their lips twitched into a mutual smile. Cath laughed nervously.

"Alright. But remember, we have to play by the rules." She reminded Sara. "Dating. Not a fling."

"Okay." Sara nodded. There was a long pause. "How about tomorrow night?"

Catherine smiled, daringly leaning forward to peck her lips. "I can't wait."

If anyone noticed their hands locked together between them for the remainder of the journey, nobody said a word.

X x x

"Hey!" Grissom suddenly barked, making Ecklie jump beside him. "You never did tell me how you found out about ..." he lowered his voice, glancing around them. "About Nick and Sara."

Ecklie smirked. "Oh. You mean, you didn't notice yourself?"

"Conrad." Grissom scowled. The boss rolled his eyes.

"Alright, if you really want to know: I overheard them talking in the locker room the day after they... well, I'm sure you can work out what they did."

Grissom stared at him with an incredulous expression at the brief explanation. "That's it?"

"That's it." Ecklie shrugged, going back to his book. "Honestly Gil, not everything in life is a big mystery."

X x x

"Man, it is so good to be back!" Warrick announced, stretching his tired muscles as the team piled through the glass doors of the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

"Vegas! I've missed you." Nick declared, following suit. "And on that note, I think bacon and eggs are in order."

"Oh I am with you there." Warrick agreed as they began to deposit themselves around the break room.

"Nicky; if there's whiskey, I'm in." Jim said, patting the Texan on the arm.

"Alright! Greggo?"

"Sure." The young man nodded eagerly. "As long as you're buying."

"Ha, keep dreaming dude." Nick slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "But if you're nice to me I might just shout you a drink. Girls, you coming?" He turned to Cath with a hopeful expression. She shook her head with a small smile, gesturing to the couch.

"No thanks, I'm going to take her home."

"You'll have to get her up first." Jim commented with a chuckle, smiling down at Sara who was slumped on the couch, leaning against Warrick's chest with her eyes closed. Rick was sat on the armrest and had one arm draped lazily around her shoulders. He grinned down at her affectionately, squeezing her arm briefly before gently shrugging her off. Sara frowned and mumbled something but didn't open her eyes. Nick and Greg chuckled at the scene before them, exchanging a warm smile over their sleepy colleague.

"Get some rest girls." Warrick said, waiting until Cath had one supporting hand on Sara before releasing her entirely and drifting into the hall with the guys.

"Hey," Brass called, hovering in the doorway for a second. "Take good care of her." He winked at Catherine and disappeared after the boys. Cath's expression morphed into one of bemusement, but it quickly melted when she looked down at her dozing charge. She leant down, resting her hands on Sara's knees.

"Come on babe, home time." She whispered, her lips inches from Sara's. The brunette smiled sleepily and nodded in agreement, allowing Cath to pull her to her feet.

"Your home or mine?" She added cheekily as Cath dragged her into the hall.

X x x

"Well, I think that's the last of them, for a few hours at least." Ecklie commented as he and Grissom watched the girls wander outside; Cath had one arm draped around Sara's neck and her head resting on the brunette's shoulder.

"Hmm." Gil agreed quietly. The two men looked up, meeting each other's gazes for an awkward moment. "Well, goodnight Conrad." He mumbled at last.

"Goodnight Gil." Ecklie parroted, before both turned and walked in opposite directions down the deserted hallway.

**x x x x**

**One chapter to go :)**


	16. The Beginning

**Well, end of the road my friends. Thanks for reading and reviewing, hope you enjoyed it :)  
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**x x x x  
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**The beginning...**

"Man, I am starving." Nick said, drooling gleefully as Warrick and Greg brought their orders over.

"Easy dude, there's no rush." Warrick chuckled as the Texan tore into his food. Nick mumbled something around his mouthful of bacon that no-one understood.

"Hey, say it don't spray it." Greg mocked playfully with a childish voice. Nick retaliated by opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out at the younger man; to the amused, if slightly grossed out, heckles of Warrick and Brass.

"I work with children." Jim shook his head.

"Aw, you know you love us." Greg grinned at the detective sweetly. Brass smirked at him.

"You got a little something on your face ... oh, it's just Nicky's breakfast."

X x x

Ecklie sighed, tossing his pen onto the desk and running a tired hand over his face. He tapped his fingers on the desk for a moment, letting the events of the last week run rampant through his mind. He tried to brush the uneasy feeling in his stomach aside, but try as he might his mind kept going back to that moment. To that conversation.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone and tapped the number that he knew by memory.

He held his breath, listening to the dial tone. Only then did it dawn on him just how early it was and he was about to hang up when a sleepy voice answered. For a second, he wasn't sure quite what to say.

"Morgan, it's your dad..."

X x x

Grissom sighed, dropping heavily into his seat. He switched on his laptop and stared at it for a long moment. He had considered going home but the thought that there was no one there waiting for him was putting him off. He glanced around the office, his gaze eventually settling on the photo that was sat proudly between his fetal pig and his tarantula.

It was a photo of the whole team, taken at Greg's party for passing his evaluation. If he recalled correctly, it was actually Ecklie who had taken the photo.

He smiled at it affectionately. It had been taken at a time after the team had been split up, and it was the first time they were all back together again, if only briefly. His team.

His laptop chimed, startling him out of his reverie. He opened the new email, frowning at it for a moment before he realised where it had come from. After all, how could he forget a name like that?

He scanned the brief message, a small smile creeping onto his lips. Snapping the computer shut, he stood up and grabbed his jacket, sailing out into the early morning air with a relaxed spring in his step.

X x x

"Man, I needed that." Nick stretched out in the booth, folding his hands across his stomach with a satisfied smile.

"I hope there's some bacon left for me, Nick." A gentle voice spoke, snatching the guys' attention.

"Gil!" Jim greeted warmly. "What happened, you finish your crossword already?" He joked playfully.

"I felt like being social." Grissom offered with a small shrug. The boys exchanged wide smiles.

"Alright!" Nick grinned, shuffling over to make room for him. "Alright, now that you're here, I suggest a toast." He raised his drink, waiting for the others to join in. "Well, despite a few hiccups this week, I think that we did pretty damn well!" He cast a warm smile around the table. "To the best damn team in the world."

"It's a pity the girls couldn't come." Greg mused with a hint of disappointment.

"Yeah, but I don't think Sara could stay awake long enough to eat." Nick laughed, munching on a leftover piece of cold bacon. Brass chuckled, a secretive grin adorning his face.

"Oh don't worry. I'm sure Catherine will fix that." The rest of the table sent him a confused look, not following. Warrick was the first to catch on, his green eyes widening.

"No..."

Brass just raised an eyebrow at him enigmatically and took and long slurp of coffee.

X x x

Sara rapped on the door, nervously fiddling with the flowers in her hands. It had only dawned on her once she arrived at the shop that she had no idea what sort of flowers Catherine liked so she took a blind guess and bought a small bunch of lilies.

Catherine had made it quite clear that for this to work they needed to do this properly, go through the motions of starting a relationship. And that was exactly what Sara was planning on doing.

However, when the door swung open and Catherine appeared with a devilish grin on her face, she had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. Without a word she took the flowers off the brunette, placed them on a nearby table and pulled Sara roughly into the house by her hand.

"I was thinking room service." She mumbled, pushing the brunette against the closed door.

Sara held her back with a strong grip on her arms. "What about following the rules?" She asked, puzzled.

Catherine's lips spread into a feral grin. She stepped closer, pressing her body flush against Sara's. Sliding her hands down to rest on her hips; she peppered a single, gentle kiss on the bemused brunette's lips.

"Screw the rules."

**~fin~**


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